When Life Hands You Lemons
by Smindle
Summary: Yugi could take a lot, but his life was never this crazy before he moved to New York with with his best friend, Anzu, who's now a dancer for three of the world's biggest pop stars: Ryou, Malik, and Mana. He's still not sure how he ended up here, or why their producer Yami keeps staring at him...YxYY, RBxYM, YBxMI, MxM. Fem!Ryou/Malik. Not a songfic, though a couple will come up.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first time publishing a fic on here, so I hope you like it. I've had this idea of making Yami and Mana the Jay Z and Beyoncé of their worlds music industry (minus a lot of parts of their relationship), with Malik as a Nicki Minaj/Rihanna hybrid and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. That being said, it's important to note that this is a fic featuring fem!Ryou and Malik. I don't own YuGiOh or any of the music (I'll** **credit as they come up).**

Yugi Muto stretched his arms over his head as he exited his terminal at JFK International Airport in New York City. Glancing around at the busy pick up area, he chose a bench in the shade of an overhang to wait for the crowd to clear. He could have tried to get a taxi, but the crowd on the curb was packed and he was so tiny that it was definitely safer for him to wait for a few minutes. It wasn't like he was in a rush - he was moving into the city with his best friend, Anzu, so he'd have plenty of time to take it all in.

It seemed like it was only yesterday that they'd graduated from Domino High School, but in reality it had been five long years since then. It had almost been that long since he'd seen Anzu, because two weeks after they'd graduated she'd been on a flight to New York and he'd been terrified that he would never see her again. They had weekly phone calls, and slowly, as Yugi earned a degree in business, she'd started convincing him to follow her. "It's so lonely here, Yugi!" she'd complain, "if you were here we'd be laughing and having a great time!"

He had to admit that it was true, his life had been much more lonely since his best and only friend had moved clear across the world from him. His grandpa was great company, but even he thought Yugi should go too. "You can't put your whole life on hold for an old man. Chase your dreams, Yugi!" In the end, it had been his convincing that had finally pushed Yugi to go. It's hard to stay when everyone wants you to go. He just wasn't entirely positive what New York would offer him that Tokyo would not.

He imagined not too much.

Seeing that the crowd was now dwindling, Yugi stood and dragged his suitcase behind him. He flagged down a cab and told the driver the address, before sitting back and pulling out his phone for the first time since he'd landed. He sent his grandfather a text to let him know he'd landed and would call him as soon as he was at Anzu's apartment before opening a news app. They'd been sitting in traffic for five minutes already so he figured he'd have time to catch up on what he'd missed in the past week or so - the flight had only been thirteen hours, but he'd been so busy packing and spending time with his grandpa that he had lost track of what was going on in the world.

He started scrolling through articles, skipping the sports and politics but stopping to read anything about space or medicine. He found science extremely fascinating, and while he wasn't an expert, he still liked reading about new planets and stars being discovered or a dinosaur bone found in someone's yard. He finally switched over to the music section and found an article immediately that made him smile.

It was an interview of Mana, the reigning queen of pop music and fashion. Yugi had fond memories of listening to her music with Anzu in high school. That had been her ultimate goal: "I want to dance for her, Yugi, just once. Do you know how amazing that would be? To be a part of THAT?" she'd say while gesturing at whatever choreography they were watching Mana and her dancers perform.

He tapped the article, knowing that most of it wasn't even going to be the interview but the writer describing the just off the beaten path but extremely trendy café they were meeting at. He read a sentence that caught his eye: "'When I was writing my last album, I was in a really great place mentally. That's why that album was so popular, I think. And because I recorded it with my best friend. We wrote all the songs together, produced them together, and then he directed the five videos I ended up making too. I think you can hear the love and work we both poured into it, and we really wanted people to feel joy when they heard it and want to play it over and over again. Like Yami and I had a party and instead of just inviting Ry and Mal we asked the world to party with us. Did that answer your question? I feel like I might have been rambling.' She shrugs before taking a large sip of coffee."

Under that section of the article was a picture of Mana they'd taken. She had waist long straight blonde hair, big green eyes, and soft looking brown skin. She looked sort of ethereal, like she was glowing. There had been rumors years ago that she was a witch and cast a spell to make her fans love her, but he was certain that was insane.

Yugi looked out the taxi window, noting that they'd moved maybe six blocks, before talking in all the people and lights and signs. He spotted a large ad featuring Ryou Bakura, modeling a trench coat and looking like she could crush armies under her Louboutins. Yugi's stomach did a flip - Ryou was by far his favorite of the female pop stars. Mana may have been the queen, but her friend Ryou was the one Yugi really got excited for. She had an amazing voice, a fabulous personality, and catchy music. She was easily one of the most popular pop stars in the world, but she'd had a huge cult following in Japan. Yugi hadn't fully understood everyone's fascination until he'd seen her live with Anzu their senior year, but when he had he'd become a huge fan immediately. Not only did she look and sound better in person, but she'd performed her entire set in Japanese, and by the end of it he was certain she'd performed an exorcism on the audience. "I feel cleansed! Renewed! Like a new person! It's amazing, Anzu, don't you feel that?" He remembered shouting at her the next day. Yugi wondered if Anzu had met her yet, but assumed that if she had she would have told him.

Yugi noticed his cab had finally gone a significant distance. It wouldn't be long now until he was home. His eyes caught on a sign standing on the sidewalk outside of the building they were currently stopped in traffic by. "SATURDAY NIGHT," it read, with a picture of a blonde haired, purple eyed girl smirking at the camera. He glanced around for a hint as to what the event was - it was Saturday evening so he assumed there was something about to happen, but the taxi started moving again before he could.

"You said 5th and East 64th?" The driver asked, startling Yugi.

"Yes...sorry."

The driver pulled over and slowed to a stop. "Here it is."

Yugi froze, staring at the building. "Are you sure? This seems…"

"It's the right address. Why? Didn't you know you were asking to go to Kaiba Corp.?"

Yugi gaped up at the building. Anzu lived here? How? Wasn't it a business? Yugi was very confused, but paid the driver anyway. It wasn't his fault if Yugi got the address wrong. As his cab drove away, Yugi stared at the imposing building for a moment before steeling his nerves and entering the building. He looked around the huge, open lobby before approaching the desk.

"Hi...I'm looking for Anzu Masaki? Is she here?" Yugi asked nervously, hoping he wasn't about to embarrass himself entirely.

The girl at the desk just started typing at her computer before asking, "Is she expecting you?"

"Ahhh…yes." Yugi hadn't called her when he'd landed, but he knew he'd told her when he thought he'd land and he'd been right.

"She's in rehearsal, but you can go into the dance studio if you want. 58th floor, down the hall on the left." The girl said after typing something else. Yugi thanked her and headed toward the elevator.

When he stepped into the dance studio, he'd been expecting to see the sort of room he'd grown up watching Anzu rehearse in. Instead, there was an actual seating area, three rows of black movie theatre style seats, and a large stage, currently piled with about twenty dancers. He easily spotted Anzu in the mix - she was wearing a baby blue tank top and black shorts. Her hair that he remembered being a short bob cut was now long enough for her to ponytail it, which surprised him. She'd refused to wear her hair up the entire time he'd known her. He remembered laughing as she'd listed to her mother the many different reasons she didn't need to: "I LIKE it blowing around in my face, it makes me feel like a mythical siren!"

Yugi grabbed a seat in the back before he caught Anzu's eye. She had a huge smile stretched across her face and was bouncing on her toes, so he knew she was excited to see him too. Hopefully she'd be done soon.

"Okay ladies! Let's figure this out before Mana gets here! She's going to want to run this maybe twice and be done. Let's get in places!" A tiny red head shouted before the girls hit their marks to begin. Yugi felt his stomach drop. Mana? Here? Was this Anzu's big moment? He glanced at her and could tell from the determination on her face that it was. He crossed his fingers, praying to anyone who was listening that it went well.

Yugi watched as they rehearsed with no music, just the shouts and clapping to the beat provided by the red head. Anzu seemed to have the steps down - he could see a couple of the others watching her to make sure they were doing it correctly. They held their final pose, before the redhead said, "Okay, that was much better. Everyone grab drinks while I go get her, okay?" The dancers agreed before she took off backstage.

Yugi waved to Anzu, who waved back happily while mouthing "sorry." Yugi gave her a thumbs up to let her know it was okay, before she finally had a drink from her water bottle and stretched her legs. He watched as one of the girls asked her a question and she showed them a step. Yugi couldn't believe he was about to be in the same room as Mana. They'd never seen her live because the tickets had been expensive. Yugi was excited to see her in her element.

"Okay, PLACES, everyone!" Yugi quickly looked at the new voice that had spoken and felt his heart fly into his throat. There, walking to center stage, was Mana. The Mana. Charging in behind her was a boy who looked like Yugi with Mana's skin. Yugi recognized him as Yami - Mana's producer and best friend. Yugi watched as Yami trudged past Mana, jumped down into the seating area, before dropping into one of the first row seats, all without looking up from his phone. The dancers, who had rushed to their places the second they'd heard her voice, were waiting anxiously behind Mana, who was staring down at Yami with her arms crossed. Yugi didn't think he'd ever seen her look so stern. After a minute, Yami finally looked up. "I'm sorry, what's happening?"

Mana sighed, loudly, "I'm about to rehearse this number in front of you with dancers for the first time, but apparently whoever you are talking to is very, very interesting because you haven't paid attention to anything that's been happening all day." Yugi could sense that it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Everyone's eyes were darting between Mana and Yami, looking nervous.

Yugi watched Yami's shoulders rise has he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize the fact that one of our best friends - who you apparently don't bother to speak to unless they're in front of your face - is literally having a huge crisis and is, as far as I can tell, indefinitely screwed by the fact that she has exactly four and a half hours to undo a mistake made three years ago. So I'm sorry I haven't been listening to you babble on about costumes and choreography." Yami said, bitingly. Yugi could see how tense the man appeared.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" Mana asked, seeming to deflate.

"I can tell by the look on your face that you haven't heard about Malik." Yami said, Mana's eyes narrowing.

"She's going to be on SNL tonight to promote her album. That's not a crisis unless they lose the cue cards."

Yami laughed, coldly. "Oh, yes, that's the worst thing that could happen! EXCEPT her useless LOSER OF AN EX BOYFRIEND AND PRODUCER IF HE CAN STILL CALL HIMSELF THAT is suing her and claiming that he wrote and produced all of her music himself, and that label, run by that arrogant stupid SELFISH ASSHOLE DECIDED TO JUST DROP HER INSTEAD OF TAKING IT TO COURT!" Yami screamed, clearly needing to release all of his pent up anger about the situation.

The entire room was dead silent after his rant. Everyone in the room felt so awkward and no one knew what to do. It was a long moment until:

"WHAT?!" Mana shrieked before jumping down off the stage, grabbing Yami's hand, and running out of the studio with a quick, "I'm so sorry! We'll pick this up in the morning. I love you ladies!"

Yugi blinked. What just happened? It was a lot to process, but he was pretty sure he'd just breathed the same air as Mana and Yami while getting some of the juiciest news. He sort of knew who Malik was - she was a rapper from Egypt who happened to be great friends with Mana, Yami, and Ryou. It was the only reason Yugi knew who she was. He looked up as he heard someone running, just in time to see Anzu launching herself into his arms in a tight embrace. He hugged her back, breathing in her mango shampoo and feeling so at peace for the first time in so long. When they pulled apart for a moment, Yugi was giggling with happiness. "Anzu...are you crying?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I just missed you." She embraced him again and he laughed, holding her tight. He'd missed her too. He then noticed that they were the only two people to have moved since Mana and Yami had left. It was at that moment that one of the dancers finally spoke up:

"I'm sorry, what the fuck just happened? And why is there a fun sized Yami here?"

 **I'll post more soon. The next chapters going to have more backstory and Malik, Ryou, and their Yami's should be making appearance.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two! I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi sighed as he sank back into Anzu's couch. They were sitting in her apartment, which was in fact a floor below the dance studio. They'd ordered pizza (Anzu insisted he had to try Brooklyn style pizza), and spent the past hour sipping on wine while he caught her up on all the latest news from Japan. He felt bad, because he'd asked her almost no questions about her life yet and had been doing most of the talking.

He glanced at Anzu. She'd aged a bit since high school, but she looked even better. He was also pretty sure she could kick him through the wall now. That was the thing that had changed the most about her for sure: her body was exceptionally muscular.

"I'm going to put on that TV show Malik's supposed to be on in twenty minutes. I wonder what Yami was saying about that earlier." Anzu said as she reached for the remote.

"It was pretty wild." Yugi agreed, "How did you end up staying here, anyway? I didn't know Kaiba Corp had apartments."

Anzu's face dropped. "Oh my god, I didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Yugi asked.

Anzu muted the TV, which was currently showing the nightly news, and adjusted herself on the couch so she was sitting cross legged and facing him. "Okay. So I only moved in here a month ago."

"A MON-" Yugi started, but she held up her hand.

"I know I'm the worst. But you were preparing to move and...okay well let me start at the beginning." She closed her eyes and breathed out deeply before glancing at the clock. "I have ten minutes to get through this story. Can we do it?"

"You'd better." Yugi leaned toward the coffee table and picked up his wine glass, swallowing the red liquid in one gulp. Anzu stared at him. "You know you're supposed to sip that, right?"

"I wanted to be prepared for this story."

She laughed, before finally beginning, "Do you remember about six months after I graduated? I told you a scout was supposed to be at the class I was teaching?" He nodded. "Well, it turned out that the scout was Mokuba Kaiba." She paused, smirking at the way his jaw dropped. "I know, right? I had no idea what he looked like because his brother did so well hiding him from the press until after he graduated. Anyway, he came up to me when the class ended and asked for my contact information. The next day, he called me and told me he had an offer for me that I wouldn't be able to refuse. And I didn't." She said, in conclusion.

Yugi blinked. "That's it?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it?'"

"I mean, how did you end up dancing for Mana? How are you living in Kaiba Corp.?" Yugi stressed.

"Oh. Well, the troupe I'm assigned to is ten girls, and we dance backup for different acts. She's our primary job, but very soon we're going to be on tour with someone very special." Anzu said, teasing.

"Who?" Yugi asked, right as Anzu gasped and grabbed the remote. "It's starting. I'll tell you at the break." She said with a wink, a huge grin stretched across her face. He narrowed his eyes at her, reaching for the bottle of wine on the coffee table and refilling both of their glasses.

The opening sketch was some politicians on a talk show. Yugi didn't really understand it and made a note to read up on it - he wasn't sure what was a joke or fact and in some cases he really, really hoped they were joking. Anzu giggled occasionally, which helped him a bit.

A few minutes later, and they reached the part where Malik finally appeared. He heard Anzu groan from beside him. "She's so gorgeous I can't stand it. Literally look at her. I get headaches trying to comprehend how she looks like that."

Yugi laughed, "That's maybe a bit of an exaggeration."

"Seriously, wait for her to start talking. Just wait."

On the screen, Malik was standing at the edge of the stage, smiling as the audience screamed for her. "She looks sad." Yugi said, noting the tired expression in her eyes. Anzu nodded.

Malik was still waiting as the audience cheered, finally holding her index finger to her lips. The audience silenced immediately. "Oh shit," Yugi said, and Anzu chuckled.

"Hello New York!" Malik finally yelled, and the audience roared again. She held up her hand and the audience immediately quieted again. "I was supposed to do a monologue about my first trip to Times Square and, while it's a great story, I need to use this time a little differently." Yugi looked at Anzu, who wore an expression that said this was unusual. "Four years ago, I made a mistake that's finally caught up to me. Most of you already know that I grew up underground in Egypt, and that I never truly felt the sun on my skin until I was eleven years old. Three years after that, my siblings and I finally escaped the tombs and I assumed there was no way life above ground could be harder than life underground. It turns out that I was very naive, and when I was eighteen, I was going to feel so confused, and sad, and like I had nothing to offer the world or anything I could contribute to make anyone's lives better. That was how I was feeling when one day this guy stops me in the middle of the park and tells me he's certain he's never seen anyone who looks like me before. That same guy convinced me to sign a contract with Sennen Records." Yugi glanced at Anzu, _Sennen_? She mouthed, "Yami's father," and he nodded. That explained it.

"Then, two months ago, one of the producers convinced me to go on a date with him. I didn't know it at the time, but the contract I signed was a trap, and when I didn't agree to suck his dick, I was giving up my career at Sennen Records." Yugi and Anzu, as well as the studio audience, all gasped in shock. "No," Anzu murmured, looking horrified.

Malik just stood there, twisting the ring she wore on her left middle finger. Yugi hadn't known anything about her before watching this - he didn't really like rap music, so he'd never spent time getting to know her like he had Mana or Ryou. He felt bad about it now, like he'd never given her a real chance.

"As of this coming Monday, I no longer have a team. I don't have transportation. And I don't have a place to live." Everyone gasped again, and Yugi felt so confused. "When I signed that stupid contract, I agreed that at any time, Sennen Records can terminate my contract, and that they can 'supplement the cost of any losses to the company due to the termination, including repossession of anything purchased while I was signed to them.' To explain it quickly, they're taking everything I've been working for and claiming it wouldn't cover what I would have made for them with three more albums. I'm telling all of you this because come Monday every tabloid is going to be claiming they have the scoop, the real story, and I want to get the jump on it. The truth. I'm having my entire life taken away from me because I had respect for myself and said no. These next few months are going to be intense. I hope you all stick with me. I was supposed to be releasing my new album in the next month, but he also profits from any song I wrote while I worked for Sennen Records, so I have to create an entirely new one. That being said, the songs I was going to perform tonight are no longer an option, but…" She paused for a moment as the audience let out a sad, "awwwww."

"But, I have a couple of songs I've written in the past two days that I'll be doing, but please be kind because they're not as complete sounding as they should be. Well, I think I've said everything I need to say. We have a great show for you tonight: I'm here, so stick around!" Malik blew kisses and mouthed, 'Thank you." The audience was screaming their love and support for her as they went to commercial.

Yugi glanced at the clock. "Did they really let her talk for over ten minutes?!"

Anzu nodded. "I'm telling you, she's a siren or something. I've literally ended up staring at a picture of her for over an hour because I didn't realize time had passed."

Yugi let out a whoop of laughter. "Again, I think you're exaggerating a bit."

"No I'm not, I literally saw something about it on the Internet the other day!" Anzu insisted, as Yugi chuckled, feeling happier than he had in years just from having fun with his best friend.

 **Next chapter up soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi woke up, wine glass still in hand, sprawled awkwardly across the couch. He sat up and noticed Anzu curled up into a ball on the other end of the couch. He heard a buzzing and noticed Anzu's phone on the coffee table. The screen flashed, "Alarm (4)." Her shook her shoulder immediately. "Anzu. Anzu! I think you have somewhere to be!"

She sat up, groggily looking around the living room. "We fell asleep on the couch?" Yugi waved the wine glass he was holding as an explanation, and she nodded. "That explains my massive headache." She scooped up her phone and shrieked. "I have to be upstairs in ten minutes!" She scrambled to get up and ran to her room. Yugi could hear her throwing open her closet and drawers.

"I'll get the rest of your stuff ready, just get dressed!" He called to her, standing and walking into the kitchen. He glanced at the cabinets and opened the one next to him, silently cheering when he was correct on his first try. Her grabbed her water bottle and a couple of granola bars from the box beside it. He also grabbed a container of peanut butter and the bag hanging on a hook on the door. He placed everything on the counter before grabbing ice and putting it into the water bottle. He filled it with water and closed it before loading everything but the peanut butter into the bag. He then found a spoon and got out a scoopful of peanut butter.

He went to his room, found his bag, and quickly changed. He looked in the mirror in the bathroom at his hair, running his fingers through it. He made a note to ask Anzu for a hair tie, because he wasn't going to be able to fix what his hair had decided to do without time.

When he walked into the kitchen, Anzu was already there, in a pink tank top with blue shorts. "You're amazing." She said, as she picked up the spoon of peanut butter and ate it.

"I still don't know how you eat it like that." Yugi said, scrunching up his nose.

She put the spoon in the sink. "It's a lot of carbs and protein and I have four minutes to get to rehearsal. That's how I eat it like that." She said, going to the door. "Come with me. I'm going to repay you with lunch after this."

"Am I really allowed to be there? I don't have to sign a nondisclosure agreement or anything?" Yugi asked.

She shrugged. "They probably will have you do that, but you can't sign it if you're not there."

"That's true." He said. "Do you have another elastic I could borrow?"

A smile spread across her face as she looked at his hair. "That wasn't intentional?"

"Haha." He said, giving her a blank stare.

She pulled one out of her pocket and handed it to him. "C'mon."

Yugi was sitting in the front row of the studio, watching Anzu and her team talk and stretch. It turned out that she wasn't the only one running late that day, because it was 9:15 and Mana hadn't arrived yet. Yugi had already talked to one of Kaiba's assistants and signed a nondisclosure agreement. He hoped they wouldn't have to wait too long - he was interested to see the whole process, and he wondered how different it would be from her rehearsals back in Japan.

Moments later, Mana and Yami burst through the doors at the back. Yami was pushing a small metal cart with chopped fruits, veggies, bottled water, and tea. "Good morning! Sorry we're late - we only just got in half an hour ago." Mana announced cheerily as she leapt up on to the stage. Yami pushed the cart off to the side, giving a warm, "Good morning," to the dancers, and Yugi had to hold back a laugh seeing how starry eyed they got over him. While he really didn't know anything about Yami, he knew he would be just as star struck if he ever actually had to talk to him. It was just amusing to see a whole group of girls react the exact same way.

"Hello." A deep warm baritone voice said from beside Yugi, who jumped at the greeting. He almost did again when he realized Yami was the one who had addressed him. _What the fuck._ Hadn't he just been thinking that he would be incredibly awkward in this situation? How did these things happen to him?

"Ah...hey...lo?" Yugi asked, and face palmed in his head. _This isn't happening._ Yami was raising a single brow as he looked at Yugi, seeming amused.

"You're Anzu's friend, Yugi, right? You just moved in with her?" Yami asked. Yugi was relieved he didn't point out his mistake.

"Yes, I just got here last night." Yugi said, being sure to speak carefully. _Relax. He's just a person. An incredibly attractive, intelligent, and famous person._

"We're having a huge dinner upstairs tonight. You and Anzu should both come." Yami said, and Yugi felt his heart fly into his throat.

"I'm sorry, what?" Yugi asked, but music finally started playing, and Yami just threw him a wink before watching the rehearsal.

Yugi faced forward again, not fully able to wrap his mind around Yami's offer. Had he heard him correctly? Was he hallucinating? He was starting to think he had to be. He shook the thought from his mind and found Anzu on the stage, intending to watch her, but he often found his eyes sliding over to Mana.

Mana commanded the stage with a presence that explained why she was one of the most highly respected singers. She danced with a fluidity and ease that was hypnotic. Yugi couldn't imagine what it was like when she was actually singing as well.

Yami's phone buzzed in the cup holder between their seats, and Yugi's eyes read the message before he realized it was happening:

 **Mali Boo-Boo Child: I'll be there at 7. Have tequila chilling.**

Yugi felt his eyes widen. If that was who he thought it was, then was Malik Ishtar going to be at the dinner? He and Anzu had fallen asleep not long after her monologue, so they hadn't heard her new music or seen any of the skits. He wondered how it had gone.

"That was great, ladies! Thank you so much! Yami and I brought snacks and drinks for everyone, so help yourselves." Mana announced from on the stage. A chorus of "thank you" rang out before several girls headed over to it.

Yugi saw Anzu pick up her bag and take a long drink of water. He watched as Mana approached her and said something, Anzu nodding quickly and looking excited before saying, "Thank you! Thank you so much!" and embracing the singer, who laughed and hugged her back.

"You two should be there at 7 tonight. No dress code." Yami said from beside him, smiling at him again before rising and walking to the edge of the stage to talk to Mana.

Yugi didn't know what to do. He didn't really get a chance to decline, but how rude would it be if he did? Besides, he lives here now too, so he should get to know everyone. He truly just wasn't expecting them to be so friendly.

"Hey! Are you ready to go? We need to both shower so I can take you to lunch." Anzu said, looking giddy.

"Yeah, let's go." Yugi said.

As they got on the elevator, Anzu turned to face him. "Mana just told me she's going to move me to the front starting tomorrow."

"That's amazing! Congratulations!" Yugi felt pride blooming in his chest. He knew she was good enough to do it and he couldn't think of anyone more deserving.

"Thank you. I feel like I'm living in a dream." She said as they exited the elevator, walking down the hall a bit to their suite. "She invited us to a party tonight, too."

"Party?" Yugi asked. "Yami told me it was a dinner."

"We just call them dinners so they sound formal, but it's basically code for a party to help all of us de-stress." She explained.

"That makes sense." He said, still not entirely sure how he felt about it.

"Go shower and get dressed. We need to eat!" Anzu announced. He noticed she had a mischievous expression on her face.

"What are you planning?" Yugi asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Just get ready." She called as she went into her room. Yugi sighed. He was really going to need to get used to having an active social life again.

"So the second floor of this place is just a restaurant?" Yugi asked as they rode the elevator down to lunch.

"Yeah, it's actually great because if you're ever hungry or working a lot of hours you can just come down here and get food. But it gets pretty busy because it's open to the public too." Anzu explained as the elevator slowed to a stop at their floor.

"Okay. So I really wanted to thank you for this morning, but I've also been wanting to surprise you with this for a while now, and today it gets to happen." Anzu was practically vibrating she was so excited.

"What are you talking about?" Yugi asked, starting to feel anxious.

"You'll see. Just don't freak out." She said, and she lead him around the restaurant to an area of it that seemed to be designed as a private sitting area. They approached a table where a white haired girl in sunglasses was tying hastily on her phone. "Hey!" Anzu greeted her.

"Hello." Yugi was surprised by her British accent, but then... _no._ It couldn't be.

She stood and hugged Anzu, before taking off her sunglasses and looking at Yugi.

He felt like time slowed down. Like the world stopped turning for a moment because he was within five feet of her. She held out her arms to him the way she had Anzu, smiling at him warmly. "Hello, I'm Ryou. You must be Yugi. Anzu has told me so much about you. I'm excited to finally meet you!"

It felt like the room was spinning very, very quickly, and then it went black.

 **I'll post the next chapter soon! Yami Bakura, Yami Malik, Joey, and Kaiba will all be appearing next!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter! Warning for light drug use.**

Yugi woke slowly, not fully willing to open his eyes yet. He heard Anzu saying something. "I can stay with him, really. You should head upstairs."

"It's fine. Besides, I feel pretty responsible for making him pass out." He heard a female voice reply. _Ryou._

"No, that was my fault. I wasn't even thinking about how jet lagged and exhausted he must be. I feel horrible." Anzu replied, sounding miserable.

"You were trying to be nice. You should have warned him though." Ryou said, her tone understanding.

"I know. I really wanted to surprise him. Your first album was the soundtrack to our senior year of high school. And when the bonus songs came out it was just like...we both felt really connected to you, but him especially." Anzu said. _How long have they known each other?_

He finally opened his eyes, adjusting to the light quickly because he'd already been awake for so long. "Oh, you're awake!" Anzu said happily has he sat up.

"What happened?" He asked, putting a hand to his head.

"You passed out. I wasn't even thinking about how tired you must have been." She said, looking extremely guilty.

"It's okay. I know it wasn't deliberate." He smiled at her.

"Now that you're awake though...Yugi, this is Ryou. Ryou, Yugi." Anzu introduced.

"I hope you're feeling okay." Ryou said, holding a hand out to him from the chair she was sitting in next to his bed.

"I'm feeling better, thank you. I'm sorry I passed out." Yugi shook her hand. He could feel his face heating up - he'd pretty much had the most cliché reaction ever.

"It's fine - it was mildly terrifying, but it's fine." Ryou smiled warmly at him. "Now that you're awake though...Anzu, head upstairs. We'll meet you up there."

"Are you sure? I feel like you should already be there." Anzu said uncertainly.

"Yes. Please go. Mana and Yami both told me earlier they wanted to talk to you. Besides, I like being fashionably late."

"Is that okay with you, Yugi?" Anzu looked at him.

"Yes. I'll meet you up there soon." Yugi said, and Anzu hugged him quickly before leaving.

"Do you need anything? Are you thirsty or hungry?" Ryou asked, standing and walking to a mini fridge in the room.

"Where am I?" Yugi asked, confused. He'd initially thought he was in a bedroom, but he noticed a sink and biohazard dispenser and far too many cabinets.

"Kaiba Corp's med bay. We got my cousin to carry you down here. You've been asleep for about eight hours."

"What? Wow." Yugi responded. He had slept quite a bit on the plane, so he was supposed he had been so tired. He'd had a lot of surprises in the brief time he'd been in New York, though. He hadn't expected any of what had happened in the past day to happen.

Ryou handed him a bottle of water, and he accepted it with a "thank you." She watched him drink it for a moment before speaking. "Anzu said you're from Japan. And that your grandfather owns a game shop?"

"Yes. How long have you two known each other?" He asked. She seemed to know Anzu too well and knew too much about him to have only known her for a brief period.

"I think six or seven months now. We met on the set of one of Mana's videos and connected immediately. She's very sweet, but…sometimes, the girls get jealous of how well she can dance and try to make her feel...not, like, horrible, but just out of place? The day we met was one of those days."

"I didn't know that. Does that happen a lot?" Yugi asked, feeling suddenly protective of his friend.

"No. It really only ever happens at music video shoots because the dancers used for the video shoots aren't necessarily the same ones you tour with. But some, like Anzu, do both. I think most of the girls were a little miffed she knew Yami so well." Ryou explained.

"Are they friends too?" Yugi asked, wondering just how familiar she had become with these stars.

"Yeah. They have lunch together sometimes. That's how Anzu ended up dancing for Mana. He likes to scout fresh talent. She just ended up fitting in perfectly with with our group. I'm certain you will too." She winked at him.

"T-thanks." He felt himself turning red again.

"You're adorable. C'mon, we both need to get ready for this shindig we're late to."

Yugi found himself sitting on a couch in Ryou's suite, one floor above the dance studio. He had a change of clothes with him: a purple button down, black leather pants, and the nicest pair of shoes he owned. Ryou had strategically picked it out for him: "Malik's going to be there tonight, and I want her to like you on sight. She needs a new friend. She technically hasn't met my cousin or Marik either, but I'd rather she pick you. I feel like you'd be a, ah...better influence."

Ryou had been showering, but he had heard the water turn off a few minutes before. She had forced him to not shower at his apartment: "We're about to become best friends tonight, Yugi." A statement which made him both excited and nervous. He was excited to be best friends, but he had no idea what that had to do with him taking a shower.

He glanced around her suite. Like Anzu's, she had hardwood floors, but Ryou also had these gorgeous blue rugs with with different abstract patterns on them. She had a large, dark blue couch, a small table with two chairs, and pictures of her and her friends framed on the walls around her mounted TV.

Yugi found himself staring at them, fascinated. There was a large one of her and a man who looked kind of like her. His skin was much darker, and his eyes were purple. He had chin length silver hair, barely darker than hers. He had a scar running in a straight line over his right eye. They were sitting on a park bench together. He was reading and she appeared to be napping or sunbathing, her long white hair perfectly straight, wearing sunglasses that read, "NYC" on the left and "2010" on the right.

"That picture's so old." Yugi practically jumped out of his skin when Ryou spoke from behind him. He hadn't heard her come out of the bathroom.

"You're pretty jumpy, aren't you?" She was grinning hugely, like the Cheshire cat.

"I'm just not used to being here yet. I thought this was going to be one thing but it turns out it's something else and I'm not sure how I got here." He explained, feeling kind of lame.

Sympathy washed over her features. "I'm sorry. Do you need to talk about it?" She walked around the couch and sat beside him.

"I just…didn't understand how different her world had become. Two days ago, I was playing cards with my grandfather, and today I'm meeting people I never dreamed I'd even be in the same room with. It's just a lot to take in." He said, looking down, feeling pretty silly and awkward.

"I had to adjust when I moved from London too." He looked at her. "London was cold, and rainy, and not nearly as glamorous as it gets credit for, but...I loved it. It had great history, I could travel a matter of hours and be in a different country, and I could talk to anyone I met about Doctor Who. It's so different. Here the buildings block the sky, it's insanely warm in the summer, and it's so crowded...but eventually, you find yourself in love with it too." She told him. He felt like he wanted to cry.

"It's exactly like that...I could see the sky in Domino. It's kind of claustrophobic here. And there's so much going on. The culture is totally different here and I feel really behind." He was relieved she understood. He should have realized she would have had a similar experience.

"We'll catch you up. I'm not doing anything tomorrow. We can do whatever you want."

"Oh, no, I'm sure you have better things to do…" He started, but she stopped him.

"I really, really don't. We can start now!" She grabbed the TV remote from the arm of the couch. "Anzu told me you guys didn't make it through SNL last night, and I didn't see it, so we can watch it together. It has current events and politics, so it'll at least give you some relevant information."

"Don't we have a dinner to go to?" Yugi asked, confused.

Ryou nodded. "Mali sent me a text a few minutes ago saying she wouldn't be there for at least two more hours - something about a delay on her flight, I have no idea where she's flying in because she was just here. I just saw everyone earlier though so we're really not in a rush to get there until closer to when she'll arrive. Besides, I want to try something with you hair." That huge grin was back again.

"I feel like I should be frightened."

"How do you feel about letting me cut and color your hair, Yugi?"

An hour and forty minutes and an episode of SNL later, and Yugi couldn't believe what he was seeing in the mirror. Ryou had cut his hair into a totally different shape, his bangs a bit shorter. She'd trimmed the star shaped section of his hair so it ended just below his earlobes, and tamed it all to face downward instead of up. She'd bleached it and colored it to all be a deep golden blonde with purple on the ends of his bangs, and she'd put several products in it to heal it and help smooth it after the process. He didn't even look like himself. He had changed into the outfit she'd picked for him and put on the spiked choker she'd given him. He felt different. He liked it.

"You look amazing." Ryou entered the bathroom, wearing a black tank top that was shredded in the back with a black ballet style skirt and purple sequined Converse. She'd painted her nails purple and straightened her hair as well. He noticed she was wearing eyeliner and lip gloss, but no other makeup.

"Thank you. You look amazing too." He smiled at her.

"Come with me. I need to do something quickly before we go." She took his hand and lead him back to her couch. He noticed her phone was set up on a tripod in front of it.

"Sit here." She pat the spot beside her, and he sit. He watched as she tapped a button on her watch he only just realized she had and started recording.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Ryou Bakura, and this is my new friend, Yugi. Wave, Yugi." He did. "This past Saturday, my dear friend and fellow Sennen Records recording artist, Malik Ishtar, was treated horribly by her producer and our label. As a fellow entertainer, but also a as a fellow person, I feel deep disgust from the entire situation. She was taken advantage of by people who knew that they could one day profit from ruining her life. I encourage all of you to boycott anything produced by Sennen Records, and ask you to please show Malik as much support as you can. For my part, today, I ended my contact with Sennen Records, and my next album through them to fulfil my contract will be a compilation of my greatest hits. I encourage you all not to purchase it." She smiled sweetly at the camera. "I will be releasing an album of new music this summer through my new label, Kaiba Corp. I encourage you all to purchase that when it's available. Thank you so much everyone. I'll see you soon!" She blew a kiss the the camera before tapping her watch again to end the video.

Yugi was gaping at her. "Are you serious?"

"Kaiba gave me permission to announce it when you were in the shower." She unhooked her phone from the stand. "Okay, now it's time to go."

When they arrived on the 60th floor, Yugi hadn't been sure what to expect. It certainly didn't look like the suites. The elevator opened into a huge open concept living room/kitchen/wet bar. He saw Ryou's cousin making mixed drinks with a man who looked a lot like Malik but much more severe, with wild hair. He spotted Anzu and Mana playing DDR, both almost tied in score. Yami and three other men were crowded around a laptop and chips at the island in the kitchen. He followed Ryou over to the island, where they were watching the video she'd just recorded.

"This is fucking brilliant, Ryou." A tall man with blonde hair and a Brooklyn accent told her as they approached.

"Thank you. I'm very excited for the next few months." She said, smiling at him. "Everyone, this is Yugi. Yugi, this is Joey Wheeler, Mana's bodyguard." The blonde man shook his hand over the island. "And this is Mokuba Kaiba." She said, gesturing to a boy with long, dark blue hair and a sweet expression. They shook hands as well. "Kaiba's the one on the couch over there." She said, pointing to the man typing on his laptop. "Come with me over here." She lead him over to the bar area.

"Hello, boys." She leaned on the counter. "Getting into trouble?"

"You know it." The one who looked sort of like Malik waggled his eyebrows at her. He turned in his seat so he was facing her and giving her his full attention. _Seems she's caught someone's interest,_ Yugi thought.

"Yugi, this is Marik. He's from Canada." Ryou said.

Marik groaned. "Why do all of you point that out to everyone you introduce me to?"

"It's amusing." She replied. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. What's up, man?" He asked Yugi.

"Not much. You?" He responded, hoping he sounded normal.

"I'm about ready to devour a lion whole, but it's all good." Yugi laughed loudly at this, and Marik grinned.

"Seriously, where the fuck is Ishtar? She is so late." Ryou's cousin complained.

"Oh, quit your whining. It's not like we don't have snacks." Ryou scolded. "Yugi, this is my favorite - albeit he is my only - cousin, Akefia."

"Don't call me that! You know I hate that!" He snapped at her.

"Maybe just don't talk to him." Ryou said. Marik burst out laughing. "Anyway, has anyone heard from Malik recently?"

"She tweeted this three hours ago on Twitter." Yami typed something on the laptop. Yugi and Ryou looked over his shoulders.

The first thing he showed them was a short clip of Malik walking through her mostly empty house. You couldn't see her, but you could hear her singing like an opera singer. Yugi wasn't familiar with it, but he could hear Ryou giggle. When it ended, Yami scrolled up to a newer post, which was a screenshot of a text: **iSis: please stop singing the arietta from The Fifth Element. Everyone here likes that song and would like to still like it in the future.** Malik had tweeted the middle finger emoji with the image, as well as a purple heart.

"That's hilarious. I'm so glad we've made them watch that movie." Ryou said, giggling.

"I agree." Yami said. "I'm going to start heating everything back up. She should be here shortly."

"I'll help you." Mana appeared, sweaty and panting beside him. "I need some water anyway. That was intense."

They both started pulling bowls and plates out of the refrigerator, placing all the food on trays before placing them in a warm oven. Yami began making fries in their deep fryer. Yugi found his mouth watering and stomach rumbling.

Several minutes later, they heard the elevator ascend. "I think she's finally here, everyone!" Mokuba called, and they all gathered around the elevator to wait. They watched as the numbers climbed higher, until it finally reached their floor. It dinged, and the doors slid open.

The first thing he noticed was that she wasn't wearing any makeup, or even the kohl around her eyes she was known for. She was wearing a pair of black leather shorts, a purple hooded tank top that showed off her midriff, and a pair of black heels. She had a purple luggage case with her, and was holding a huge bottle of Ciroc. She stepped out of the elevator and smiled, looking tired and gloomy, but happy to be with her friends. Yugi heard movement from behind them and turned to see a golden retriever with a lilac colored bandana around its neck he hadn't known was there. Malik's face lit up entirely as soon as she spotted him. "Osiris!" She thrust the huge bottle into Yami's arms before dropping to her knees to pet him and let him lick her face. "I missed you too, handsome, yes I did!" She cooed, scratching at his neck under the bandana. She looked at Yami. "Thank you for taking care of him this weekend."

"It's about time you got here." Ryou said, grinning hugely at the girl before helping her up and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

Malik was hugging her back, rocking them from side to side. "Thank you. I saw your video. I don't…you didn't…"

"I did." Ryou said, squeezing her tighter. "You're worth it."

Yugi noticed her lip trembling before she burst into tears, hiding her face in Ryou's shoulder. Almost immediately, everyone else started hugging her too, until they were all wrapped around her. They stayed like that until her sobs slowed and she finally leaned back from Ryou. "Thank you all. I'm so sorry." She sniffed.

"Why are you sorry, sweetie? You didn't do anything wrong. You're actually admirable." Mana said, playing with her hair.

"I'm very late and I'm a hot fucking mess. I don't even know how to wrap my mind around it all." She said, a lost expression in her eyes.

"I have something that might help." Yami took her hand and led her over to the bar, pulling out something from underneath and handing it to her.

"I could kiss you." Yugi heard Malik say to him, taking whatever it was and going out onto the patio with Yami. He saw her using a lighter and realized they were smoking.

"Are they allowed to do that?" He asked Ryou.

She shrugged. "I think they both might have cards for it. So yes and no. America's laws are weird."

"Huh." He said. At least they went outside first. He actually saw them both spraying air freshener on each other before coming back inside.

"Is everyone ready to eat finally?" Yami asked as he walked inside, and everyone cheered in agreement.

 **More to come soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the next chapter! And thank you to KuramaShadowFoxYokai for your kind reviews! I hope you're enjoying it!**

 **I still don't own Yugioh!**

Yugi leaned back in his chair, feeling completely satisfied. He had been so hungry he was practically drooling drooling over the chicken once he'd smelled it. He had no idea what they'd seasoned it with - it was spicy and delicious, though.

Anzu was on his right, her posture mirroring his. "That was so good."

"I agree." Malik said from his left. She and Mana had shared a huge array of vegetables and pasta, because they were both vegetarians.

Yugi had spent most of dinner talking to Malik. When they had started eating, everyone seemed unsure what they should talk to her about. He knew it was because they were her friends and they wanted to make her feel better, but he could tell they were scared to hurt her too. He didn't know what made him think of it, but he started talking to her about Egypt. He knew quite a bit about their history thanks to his grandfather, but he'd never talked to someone who was actually from there.

She seemed grateful to have something to talk about other than her current life. She told him the story about the first time she saw the sun: "I never knew it was so hot. And the way it feels on your skin - there's nothing in the world like that." She followed it up with the story of the first time she'd seen snow, which was quite a tale. "I think there's a video somewhere, and it's great because I was so amazed."

Yugi found he could listen to her talk for quite some time. She spoke passionately and her accent was beautiful. She seemed to attract everyone's attention to her like a magnet with almost no effort. Yugi had come to understand how she seemed to control the audience at her shows. She was lovely and powerful, and everyone around her seemed to be drawn to her.

Occasionally, he caught Yami staring at them from down across the table, which he might not have found weird because everyone had been staring at Malik all night, but it seemed like Yami was looking at him. He tried to ignore it and keep listening to Malik, which worked for the most part.

Right before dessert was served, she cleared her throat. "I feel like I need to explain to you all what happened to me. I actually need to explain it to you because I need to wrap my brain around it before I talk to my siblings again." She said. Yugi noticed she was playing with one of the rings on her fingers, spinning it nervously.

"If you need to talk, we're here to listen." Mana said, touching her shoulder from where she was sitting on Malik's other side.

She nodded. "Thank you." She took a deep breath before beginning. "So, the real root of the problem is that I didn't have my own lawyer read my contract before I signed with Sennen Records, and they pretty much put it in my contact that they're allowed to do this if they have, 'just cause.'" She used air quotes when she said it.

"What's their 'just cause,' then, because you should sue them for everything they have for sexual harassment if they really think you were supposed to go down on your producer. You might be able to do more than that, even." Yami said.

"They said they didn't make enough off of my last album to make it worth it. But one of their people leaked it early and they did a really terrible job locking it down after, so of course I didn't."

"What assholes. I don't understand how you turned out as well as you did, Yami, because you can be a jerk sometimes, but your dad is a whole other level of evil." Bakura growled.

Yami's face was like stone. "I don't know that we're related." He growled. "How dare he deliberately make it so he could profit off ruining your career after a few years. I wish we could have signed you first. I should have fought harder to convince you to work with us. I'm so sorry, Malik."

"This isn't your fault, Yami. You've actually been amazing." Malik said, smiling sadly. "I wish it would have worked out too but it didn't. Anyway, basically I was screwed no matter what because they were going to pull this eventually before my contract ran out. The other night I just…" She looked truly sad now.

"Who was he, Mal?" Ryou asked.

She sighed, her eyes tired. "You remember Dartz, right?"

"You went out with Dartz?! He's way too old for you, sweetie." Mana said, shocked.

"No, no, it was one of the guys who worked for him. Valon. I'd been getting to know him better, and...well, he was really nice to me. He asked me to go out with him a few weeks ago, and I said sure because I figured I could trust him and we'd have fun." She was starting to look less sad and much more furious. "He took me to dinner, and he did everything the way he was technically supposed to, and at the end of the night he brought me back to his place for coffee. At least, I wanted it to be for coffee. The second we were inside, he kissed me, and I let him at first because...well…I thought I liked him. And then he pulled away from me, dropped his pants, and said, 'you know what to do.'" Malik finished.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Mana sounded appalled.

"No, I'm very serious." She sounded like she wished she wasn't.

"I really want to punch someone right now." Marik said, looking furious. Beside him, Bakura looked practically bloodthirsty.

"What are we going to do about this?" Joey asked, looking at Seto, who looked at Mana before looking at Yami.

"Malik, Mana, Yami, and I will handle it soon. We'll make them pay." Seto said, a spark of something unsettling gleaming in his eyes.

"Is that it, Malik? Did you have to tell us anything else?" Ryou asked her. Malik shook her head.

"I think I'm good now, I just wanted to make sure everyone here knew my version of the story." She said. She still seemed stressed and sad, but it was like some of the weight had come off.

"I'm shocked you told all of us all of that." Mokuba said. "You usually try to keep your life private."

"I do, but everyone here signed nondisclosure agreements and no one here is a truly horrible awful person, so I feel comfortable talking to you all." Malik explained. "That probably isn't an intelligent way of running my life but I just don't care anymore."

"I feel like we should do something together. Like a group bonding activity." Mana said. "We never get to do things together anymore because we're always all over the place."

"What should we do?" Mokuba asked her. "There are so many of us."

"What if we played hide and seek throughout Kaiba Corp? We could have two people seeking and everyone else hides." Ryou suggested.

"Absolutely not." Seto interjected immediately.

"Oh, come on, Seto, it's not like we're all three year olds or something." Mokuba countered. Kaiba looked at Bakura and Marik.

"I'll be watching, so don't you dare take anything." He threatened them.

Bakura smirked. "Oh Kaiba. I should be offended, but I'm feeling rather flattered. How about you?" He looked at Marik.

"Yeah, I had no idea you paid so much attention to us, Kaiba. You really do care!" Marik exclaimed, moving toward Kaiba with his arms out for a hug.

"What?! No! Get away from me! Do what you want! I'll be upstairs!" Kaiba grabbed his laptop and sprinted out of the room at lightning speed.

"Good work, Marik." Bakura pat him on the back.

"I didn't get my hug." Marik pouted.

"Awww, come here." Ryou said, pulling him to her and wrapping her arms around his waist. Marik's face was bright red, she'd caught him completely off guard. He hugged her back after a moment, quickly, before separating from her. She giggled, and Bakura glared daggers at Marik.

"If you three are done, let's get to playing this game!" Joey cheered.

Yugi found himself running down one of Kaiba Corp's hallways, trying to find a place to hide. Mana and Anzu had run off somewhere together, and the only other person he'd seen was Joey, who'd said, "I just saw Mokuba checking that way turn back!" as he ran by, which Yugi appreciated.

He was thinking about hiding in a window and pulling the blind over himself, when Yami appeared in the intersection he was headed toward. He smiled at Yugi and started walking towards him. Be cool. Just be cool, Yugi.

"I was going to hide on one of the lunch carts with a tablecloth pulled over it. Care to join me?" He asked.

"Sure. That's better than my plan was for sure." Yugi followed him down the hall. He hadn't realized that Yami wasn't really that much taller than him. He just had darker skin and red eyes. And confidence and a million dollar career, but Yugi tried not to think about that.

Yami grabbed a folded black tablecloth from the top of the cart, and draped it over it. "Perfect." He said, lifting one side and gesturing to Yugi. "After you."

They crammed in together under the cart. It was tight, but he was certain no one would find them. "Do you like it here?"

"I mean it's a little cramped but I don't mind."

Yami laughed quietly. "I meant Kaiba Corp." he clarified.

"Oh. Yes, I do. Everyone is really friendly here." He said.

"Even Bakura?" Yami joked, and Yugi laughed.

They continued like that for a while, until they heard the door to the room they were in open. They both froze. They heard footsteps, and could see the light of someone using a flashlight. Yugi froze.

"Hello?" He recognized Mokuba's voice.

"I know someone's in here. I can feel it." They heard Ryou too. The two were slowly walking closer to them, until they were standing next to the cart. Yugi and Yami were staring at each other, both not even breathing. They stopped by the cart and looked around again.

"I don't see anyone, Ryou."

"I don't either. Let's keep looking." They heard them walk out and the door close. Yugi opened his mouth to say something and Yami pressed a finger to his lips, shaking his head. Yugi gave him a confused look, but remained silent. A minute later, he heard a sigh. "Dammit, there really isn't anyone in here." Ryou said before actually leaving.

"Thank you." Yugi whispered to Yami.

"Of course. I know Ryou, she does that in every room when we play this game." He whispered back. They heard a shriek from down the hall, looking at each other before rolling out of the cart and taking off for the source. Ryou was sitting on the ground, her head between her knees, and Yugi couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. Her cousin was howling with laughter. Mokuba was watching them both looking horrified.

"What happened?" Yami asked. Mokuba just shook his head. Yugi could definitely tell Ryou was laughing now. Not in a way like she thought it was funny.

"Bakura thought it would be funny to drop down from THAT-" she pointed to a ledge above the doorway that had just enough space for a person, "onto my shoulders, like a PSYCHO!" She yelled in his direction. He laughed more.

"Your face though…" He laughed, his face a deep red at this point.

"I will end you." Ryou kicked his foot.

"Well, I guess the game is over for us now." Yami said to Yugi.

"I guess it is." He replied. He found he was a little sad about it.

"Actually, you two were the only ones we hadn't found other than Bakura. So I guess you both win." Mokuba said.

"Awesome!" Yami said happily, holding his hand up for a high five. Yugi complied.

"You were right about that spot. It was perfect." He complimented.

"It was, wasn't it? Let's head back upstairs." Yami said, and everyone followed.

After their game of manhunt, everyone was tired, so they began saying their goodbyes. Yugi was picking his shoes up off the floor when Malik approached him. "Hey. So, I think you're kind of awesome, and you need friends, and I need friends, so...we should be friends." She finished awkwardly. He'd noticed throughout the evening that she was much more reserved and awkward in person than she was on stage.

"Of course. Do you want to hang out sometime? I can give you my number." He said.

"I'd like that." She smiled at him and pulled out her phone, tapping it a few times before handing it to him. He typed in his number and handed it back to her. "Thank you. It was great to meet you." She hugged him before calling to Osiris and heading down the hall to one of the guest bedrooms. Ryou found him next.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning. 10 AM? And is it okay if I invite Malik?" She asked him.

"Of course." Yugi said, and Ryou pulled him into a hug as well.

"I'm glad you're here. I can tell you being here is going to be good for everyone." She whispered in his ear. "Also Yami has been staring at you all night."

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Anzu and Mana noticed too...we'll talk more tomorrow." She pulled away from him and smiled at him. "Sleep well."

"Yeah, you too." He said, feeling very confused. He looked for Yami, and was surprised to find he was indeed staring at him. When he realized Yugi had caught him, he winked before turning and saying something to Bakura. Yugi blushed.

Anzu made her way over to him. "Hey Yugi. You ready to go?"

"Yes, let's." They said goodbye to everyone who was left in the room and were going to take the elevator, but Anzu said, "What's a few flights of stairs?" so they were making their way down them.

They'd gone down a couple of floors when Anzu peeked in a window on the door and said, "What floor are we...whoa."

"What?" Yugi asked, and she gestured for him to join her quickly.

He peeked through the window and gasped. Just inside the door, Ryou and Marik were holding hands and talking. They could hear them faintly through the door, but they couldn't make out what they were saying. They watched as Marik kissed her on the cheek and then her forehead, before turning and walking down the hall and going into one of the rooms. Ryou stood with a hand to her cheek, looking giddy. They heard her give a giggle before she entered her room.

"I thought they looked cozy earlier. Good for her." Anzu whispered to him.

"I know. I'm happy for her too." He whispered back.

"Speaking of romantic interests…" Anzu waggled her eyebrows at him and he flushed. "You really caught his eye, Yugi. He keeps asking me about you."

"Let's just get home and talk about it after." He groaned internally. He'd never hear the end of this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter! Thank you to Kyo lover with little sanity and Krazypeople for your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi woke in his room to the sound of his phone ringing loudly. He rolled over and looked at the caller ID. He didn't recognize the number at all, but he cleared his throat and answered it. "Hello?"

"Good morning, is this Yugi Muto?" a woman asked him formally.

"Yes. Who's calling?" He'd half suspected it would be Ryou, but now he had no idea who was calling him.

"This is Eve, secretary for Mr. Kaiba of Kaiba Corp. He would like to speak with you as soon as possible." She said.

"Oh. Uh, when would be a good time?" He asked. _Why does Kaiba want to talk to me?_

"He has a little free time in about fifteen minutes." She told him.

"I'll be there." He groaned internally. He was going to have to start getting used to sleeping for only five hours.

He dragged himself from his comfy bed, opening one of the boxes at the foot of the bed and selecting an outfit. He quickly showered, happy to not have to do his hair for once. He grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys, before heading to the elevator.

Kaiba's office was on the top floor. The elevator opened into a chic waiting room. A woman with a short pink haircut sat behind a desk ahead of Yugi. _That must be Eve_. He walked up to her desk. "Hi, I'm Yugi Muto."

He was going to follow that up with something about having an appointment, but she interrupted him. "Yes, we spoke on the phone. He's waiting for you." She smiled at him.

"Thanks." He walked to a rather large set of doors and opened them.

Kaiba's office was huge. The wall on the left was lined with books, while the right wall had various pieces of artwork. There was also a TV and couch to the right, in an area you had to step down into. Kaiba was sitting behind a large desk in front of a window wall. The New York skyline behind him was beautiful, and he had an excellent view of the park.

"Hello, Yugi. Have a seat." Kaiba said, without looking up from his computer.

"Thank you." Yugi said, suddenly very nervous. He really had no idea why he was here and it was putting him on edge.

"I wanted to talk to you about giving you a position here at Kaiba Corp." he said, still not looking up.

"What?" He was even more confused. "Just like that?"

"I had a full background check run on you before you moved in here. You're not a criminal, you have a degree, and you have other unique qualifications that make you ideal for this position." Yugi was starting to get annoyed that Kaiba was talking to his screen and not him, but he swallowed it.

"Unique?" He asked.

"I read that you're fluent in Arabic, you're qualified to perform CPR, you have a minor in Ancient History, and you were a tutor while you were getting your degree. Correct?" He finally looked at Yugi.

"Yes…how did you know all of that?" He was even more confused.

"I got ahold of your college transcripts." Great. Not creepy at all. Yugi thought.

"So...what is it you want me to do?" He was seriously considering turning it down without hearing what it was, but he was quite curious at this point.

"Malik Ishtar is going to need a new assistant once she's signed with us. I want that assistant to be you." He said.

Yugi gaped at him. Technically, he should be offended, because he was much more qualified than an assistant, but if it was going to be for Malik, he might be willing to do it. "Why?"

"She specifically requested you." Kaiba answered, "She actually wanted you to be her new manager when she found out about your degree, but I refuse to drop you into that without previous experience."

Yugi's jaw was practically on the floor now. "How did she find out about it?" He asked, feeling dazed.

"She was in my office at 6:30 this morning." Kaiba said. "I'm offering you the job, Yugi. Do you want it?"

He thought about it for a moment. Kaiba had more than creeped him out, and he technically could get a job in his field, but...he'd been wanting change, hadn't he? This would be an even more drastic change than he'd been considering. He needed the money though…

"I'll do it." He agreed.

"Excellent." Kaiba push a piece of paper that was sitting on his desk toward him. "Just read and sign." He instructed.

It was several pages of mostly painfully obvious statements, like not leaking her music or discussing her private life. As he was reading, they discussed his pay and schedule (he was pretty much on call 24/7, but he was well compensated for it). When he finished reading through the contract, he signed it. Kaiba took it back from him, signing it himself before spinning in his chair and opening a mini fridge from behind his desk and producing two bottles of water. He crossed around the desk and held out his hand to Yugi. He stood and shook his hand.

"Congratulations, Yugi. Welcome to Kaiba Corp. For your first task, I want you to bring Malik and Ryou these bottles of water. They've both been down in the workout room for over an hour."

"Thank you." Yugi said. He didn't want to know how he knew what Malik and Ryou were doing. He took the two bottles of water and exited Kaiba's office, stopping only to ask Eve which floor the gym was on. He got back on the elevator and finally took a moment to process what was happening to him.

It seemed like everything happened very quickly around here, and he wasn't used to it at all. Everyone moved so fast and crammed their days full with as much as possible. He felt like he was sprinting to catch up and he still hadn't lived in New York three full days.

The elevator dinged, frightening him for a moment. The doors opened and revealed Yami. "Oh, hello Yugi." He eyes the bottles and smiled in amusement. "Thirsty?"

"They're not for me." He explained, stepping out of the elevator and smiling at the man. He really wasn't sure what to think of him. He'd been very positive when he had arrived in New York that Mana and Yami were dating, and had been for many years. If that was really the case, then why were their mutual friends encouraging whatever might be happening? It was just more confusion he was positive he didn't need.

"Did you already speak with Kaiba?" Yami asked. Yugi nodded. "Did you say yes?" Another nod. "That's excellent. I'm glad you're going to be helping her. She could use someone as genuine as you in her life." He complimented.

"How could you possibly know that? We've known each other for a day." Yugi asked, truly wondering. Everyone seemed to have put instant faith into his abilities, something he'd never been able to do, and more than that, they seemed to have true faith that he would come through for them.

"I heard the two of you talking during dinner. You never once asked her about her music, or her scandals, or her love life. You asked her about Egypt, and her family, and what she likes about America. You have a level of tact and class most humans don't achieve, and you're so humble you have no idea. That's how I know." Yami said, his eyes shining with belief and appreciation and other things Yugi couldn't begin to fathom.

"Oh...I...didn't realize anyone was listening to that." Yugi said, feeling extremely uncertain of what to say, "I just...didn't want to make her uncomfortable. I'm awkward and uncomfortable enough for the both of us."

"You're not awkward or uncomfortable, you're...actually quite amazing." Yami said, smiling softly at him and touching his arm lightly.

Yugi felt like he couldn't breathe. He needed to get out of here. He couldn't think, especially with the way Yami was looking at him, like he was special and appreciated and many other things and it was just too much.

"I-I'm sorry. I have to go." He took off like a bullet down the hall, his face beet red. He grabbed the door to the gym and threw it open, closing it immediately and leaning back against it. He felt like he was on fire, like he couldn't breathe.

"Yugi?!" He heard Ryou exclaim and heard a beeping sound before she appeared in front of him, leaning down to look in his eyes. "Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"I...I…" He felt like he couldn't breathe, and he could see his hands were shaking by the bottles he was holding.

Malik joined them immediately, taking the bottles out of his hands and setting them to the side. "You need to breathe, Yugi." She said calmly. "Can you sit with your head between your knees? It'll help."

She and Ryou helped him into a sitting position, and then he did as Malik suggested. He found his breath returning to him. Ryou was holding his right hand, in such a way that she could also check his pulse. He hadn't realized why she was holding his arm in such a way at first, but when he realized he allowed it. Malik was running her hand in soothing circles on his back, occasionally letting her nails drag against him in a comforting way.

He didn't know which was the thing that sent him over the edge, but he started crying, mostly silently, but occasionally he took shuddering breaths. After a minute, he felt Malik shaking behind him and when she leaned her face against his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his waist, he realized she was crying, too. He adjusted himself so he could hug her back, holding her tightly. He felt Ryou wrap her arms around both of them, holding them together.

They stayed like that a long time, unmoving. He slowly started to calm down, eventually finding himself leaning against Malik, her arm wrapped around his shoulders. Ryou was leaning against him, her arms wrapped around them both still. He had an arm around both girls waists. He felt better to have released all of those feelings, though he knew he really needed to work through all of his problems. He needed to accept that he was stressed and come up with ways to deal with it.

"We should go clean up and reconvene in my room. We are a hot mess." Ryou said, smiling at the two of them. He could see she'd been crying too, but he could also tell she was handling it the best.

"Oh god, I can't believe you let me near you, Yugi. I must smell like actual garbage." Malik said, crinkling her nose. He laughed.

"You don't, I promise." He told her.

"Let's go anyway. I'm excited to get to spend what will hopefully be happier time with you." She said, and he laughed again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." He scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. He could have controlled himself a little better.

"Don't be sorry. We're all human, Yugi. If there's anything I've had to learn in my life, it's that." She said, leading him by the hand from the room.

Half an hour later, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a shower, Yugi knocked on Ryou's door. She answered, wearing a plain black v-neck and jeans. He walked in and sat on the couch beside Malik, who was dressed even more casually in leggings and a purple crop top. He wasn't sure when he would get used to hanging out casually with celebrities, but he hoped it was soon.

"Okay. Yami wants to see Malik and I in the rehearsal room this afternoon, since we're both newly signed to Kaiba Corp. He also let me know that we're going to be doing a little something tonight that I can't tell you about." Ryou told them both excitedly.

"Seriously?" Malik asked, receiving a look from Ryou that said, 'quit bitching.'

"We have four hours, and room service. That's plenty of time to get into all sorts of trouble to distract you from it, isn't it?" Ryou asked.

Malik shrugged. "What would you like to do?"

"I have an idea." Yugi piped up.

Almost three hours later, and he had heard every song Malik had recorded previously and watched every music video. When he explained that he wasn't familiar with her music, she had laughed loudly and said, "I know. That's why I picked you. Not only aren't you going to end up being a horrible assistant who just wanted to breathe the same air as me, but it also gives me a chance to listen through everything I've made over the years with fresh ears so I can figure out where to go from here."

He was surprised to find he actually liked most of her music. While a lot of it was pretty explicit, he felt like he understood her much better for it. He also was starting to understand how much creative liberty was taken in choosing lyrics. He must have heard her say, "I've never actually done that before" more times than he could count. Most of time it was after the recorded her bragged about something sexual or materialistic.

He noticed, on more than one occasion, that she'd actually sing on her own track and sounded amazing. He wished she would do more of it, honestly. He told her so, and she said, "It's honestly not a bad idea, I'd just...I guess I just want to have something to sing about, you know?"

"Yeah, I'm honestly excited to meet with Yami. I need to figure out what direction I'm going in." Ryou was half frowning, thinking.

"Were you working on new material last night? I thought I heard the piano in the middle of the night but I figured I was hearing things." Malik asked her.

"That was me. I was working on this song I couldn't get out of my head but...it just doesn't sound like me. I don't think I want to keep it." Ryou vaguely explained.

"Did you record it at all?" Ryou nodded. "Play it for us, then. I just spent way too long listening to my own music." Malik said, adjusting herself so she was sitting cross legged.

"Sorry." Yugi said to her.

She winked at him. "It's okay. I'm just feeling a bit vain even though it wasn't my idea."

"You're not." He reassured her. They both looked at Ryou, who had been connecting her phone to speakers.

"Okay. Just be very honest with me." Ryou said, tapping her phone a few times before turning up the volume on it.

They heard a piano first, just some chords as Ruou seemed to pick a tune from the notes she was playing. After a moment, she seemed to have found a melody, before she started singing. The song seemed to be about being attracted to someone and deciding what to do about it. There was a particular line that stuck with him from the bridge: "Is this gonna happen? Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move, before I make a move…" The recording played through to the end of what would be the chorus and then cut out.

He and Malik sat there for a moment, neither saying anything. "It's...really different for you. Usually your music is like… 'can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face.' Like, you showed up a few years ago and changed the game for everyone." Malik said.

"By wearing outrageous outfits and making long music videos popular again? I don't know about that." Ryou said.

"You did though." Both girls looked at Yugi. He continued, "The thing is, before you, American music was much more hip hop or Alternative based. When you released "Just Dance," with the video you did for it, which seemed so wild and outlandish at the time, it made people stop and pay attention to you. Everyone was singing that song when it came out. I'm from Japan and I knew plenty of people who loved you. Not only did you make great pop music, but you worked on bringing people together. You were hosting and performing at Pride rallies when it was still almost taboo to be out. You made anyone who felt like an outcast or a freak feel like someone understood them and spoke for them. When Malik said the song you played for us was different, she didn't mean the way you sang it. She meant because your music is usually your honest thoughts and opinions, but not your feelings. That song was like...you honestly being attracted to someone." Yugi finished.

Both girls were staring at him. He realized he had just talked way too much and for way too long about Ryou. "I'm sorry, this is super awkward now." He apologized, looking at the floor. _Now they're going to think I'm super creepy. Awesome_.

He let out a yelp as he felt himself being pulled upright and ended up with his arms around Ryou's shoulders as she held him tightly. "Thank you." She murmured in his ear. "That was amazing. Some days I really wonder if I can keep doing it."

"You should. You make a difference. More than you know." He made eye contact with Malik over Ryou's shoulder. "You too. I remember when Super Bass became popular and every eyeliner wearing human on the planet started trying to do theirs like yours."

"'Trying' was the key word in that sentence." Ryou said as she pulled back from Yugi.

"Yeah I've seen some pretty jacked up variants." She said, giggling.

Ryou looked at the clock, "We have half an hour until we're supposed to meet Yami. I wonder what he's going to have in mind."

"Well, we're never going to find out without going to see him. We should just go up there now. He's probably already up there working on something." Malik suggested, and they agreed.

Five minutes later found them about to enter the rehearsal area, when Ryou held up a hand, an odd expression crossing her face. Yugi strained to hear what she was, finally making out shouting. They ran down the rest of the hallway and burst into the room. What they saw when they entered made their jaws drop.

Yami was screaming at a man Yugi didn't recognize while Mana watched looking very nervous. He had clearly been doing it for a while because because he was starting to go hoarse.

"-AND THAT YOU HAD THE AUDACITY TO SHOW YOUR FACE HERE IS THE PROOF THAT I'M RIGHT." Yami dropped into a chair, looking absolutely drained. "You talk to him, Mana, I literally can't even look at him."

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Malik asked suddenly from beside Yugi, and he was shocked by the actual venom in her voice.

"Other than trying to be assassinated? I have no idea." Mana sighed. "Aknamkanon, please get out of here before I let Malik do whatever horrific thing she is currently imagining in her head."

"Oh no, Mana, let him stay. I've always wanted to see what being a surgeon is like." Malik practically purred, and it sent chills down Yugi's spine.

"I'll help you. I love playing doctor." Ryou also said, so sweet and deadly that Yugi knew whoever this guy was, he'd seriously wronged his new friends.

"I'm sorry, but who is he?" Yugi interjected, unable to stand being in the dark any longer.

The man finally spoke. "Well, how rude of them to not introduce us. I'm Aknamkanon, president of Sennen Records." He held his hand out to Yugi.

"You screwed over Malik." Yugi dead panned, staring at his hand. "You took advantage of her years ago, and when she came to you hoping you'd help her you profited off of her problems instead. You're a horrible person."

"He's also my father." Yami rasped. Yugi gaped at him. _What?_

 **Songs mentioned in this chapter included "Into You" by Ariana Grande and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note at the end of the chapter. I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi continued to gape at Yami. _His father?_ How could that man be Yami's father? He could sort of see the resemblance physically, but he couldn't believe Yami, someone who cared about his friends and worked so hard to take care of them, could possibly have been raised by this man. Yugi hadn't realized Yami's father was the president of Sennen Records, he'd assumed he was a producer or a manager. It really just made the situation all the more horrible.

"I seriously don't know how you're still here. I don't care, at this point. You let that asshat Valon get away with treating Malik like a prostitute, you told me it was fine when I left because, 'I have nothing more to offer musically anyway-'" Yugi narrowed his eyes at Aknamkanon, tuning out the rest of what Ryou said because he'd already heard enough to make him very angry. _That was why Ryou appreciated everything I said earlier so much_. He sent the man a look he hoped was terrifying, though he probably looked like a disgruntled puppy.

"-I seriously couldn't guess as to why you're here." Ryou finished.

"I don't know why it's such a mystery as to why I'd want to check up on my child." Aknamkanon said, his tone condescending.

"Maybe because that would be the first time in his entire life you've bothered." Mana sarcastically answered. "I did a better job of raising Malik than you did him, and I didn't meet her until she was sixteen."

"Oh, hello, Mana." Aknamkanon greeted her like he'd only just noticed her presence. "You're looking more regal than ever these days, aren't you? Pity you were never actually talented or beautiful enough for my son."

"ENOUGH!" Yami rose immediately and started shuffling out of the room. "Let's go, everyone, no one here needs to listen to this asshole. He is only here to spread his poison some more." He shut the door behind him and looked at the security officer standing near the elevator. "Escort him out and ensure he can never come back. Then get yourself a coffee." He handed the man a hundred dollar bill. The man's eyes bugged before he said, "Yes, sir!" enthusiastically and went about his task.

He lead them all to the elevator and pressed the button for the 60th floor. "Okay everyone, hold it together until we're upstairs." The atmosphere was tense.

Yugi looked at Yami, attempting to break the atmosphere a little. "A hundred dollars to escort your father from the building?" He asked Yami.

Yami smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "He deserves it. I wish someone gave me a hundred dollars anytime I had to interact with Aknamkanon."

They arrived at the 60th floor, and everyone left the elevator and entered the living room.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but what the fuck was that? Why was he here?" Malik asked immediately, clearly pissed off.

"We never found out. As soon as Yami saw him he just started screaming at him. It was horrible." Mana said, her voice shaking a little.

Yugi took a moment to really look at Mana. Her green eyes stood out from how bloodshot they were, and she was trembling. She'd had the nastiest comments thrown her way, and Yugi had a feeling she hadn't had anything that mean spirited said to her face in quite some time.

"Are you okay, Mana? He was totally out of line saying any of that to you." Ryou said, touching the girl's arm.

Mana pulled herself from Ryou's hand. "I'm fine. That wasn't what got to me."

Yami moved toward her, slowly. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice even more raspy, "I didn't realize what came over me when I saw him. I never meant to scare you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I've just...never seen you that livid. It kind of terrified me a little. I understand why you let him have it like that, though. He's so awful he wasn't even disturbed by it." She sounded frustrated and tired.

Yami pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin and rubbing one hand soothingly up and down her back. "I'm sorry, Mana."

"It's okay. There's nothing for you to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong." She said, hugging him back.

"I'm sorry he said those things to you. That is my fault." He said, giving her an unreadable look.

"No. It's not. I don't regret doing any of those things. We got amazing careers and friends from doing all of that. I wouldn't trade that for your father's approval for any reason." Mana said, finally seeming to calm down and return to herself.

"So, not to interrupt this lovely moment, but what the fuck is happening?"

Everyone whipped around to look at Marik and Bakura, who had been the one to pose the question. No one had noticed their presence when they entered the room at all.

"Oh, just wait until you hear this…" Ryou said, rolling her eyes.

"Goody! More drama!" Marik cheered.

After they rehashed the events in the rehearsal room, Bakura and Marik were both livid. "We need to get in there and take them down." Barkura growled.

"If it were that easy we would have already." Mana sighed. "I need to talk to Kaiba...I have enough left in me for a spell, but I won't be able to do another one until I find more artifacts to channel."

Yugi blinked. _Did I just hallucinate that?_ "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" He asked. Everyone else in the room seemed to freeze and make immediate eye contact, and he knew he was missing something. "What?" He pressed.

"Yugi… Kaiba explained to you why he thought you were uniquely qualified to be Malik's assistant, correct?" Mana asked him, and his brow furrowed.

"Yes...but what does that have to do with-" she held a hand up to stop him.

"How much do you know about Ancient Egypt?" She asked.

"More than a random person on the street probably does, less than someone who's studied it their whole lives." He answered, now very confused.

"I'm going to tell you a story, Yugi." Mana said, crossing to the bar to grab a stool and place it in front of the couch so she could sit and tell it. Everyone gathered around to hear what she had to say.

"About 5000 years ago, in Ancient Egypt, one of the Pharaohs had these artifacts called the Millennium Items made to try and protect his people from invaders, criminals, and other things that threatened them." Bakura snorted from where he was seated, and Mana shot him a look, "As is being rudely pointed out to me in the middle of my awesome story, the way they were created was horrible. An entire town of people, women and children included, were killed to create them." Yugi gasped as Mana continued, "Basically, through events that we really only have sketchy details for, immediately after the next Pharaoh started his reign, a great evil came and he shut it down by sealing the items away." She looked over at Malik. "Should I let you take over here?"

"Oh, absolutely not. I hate talking about all of that. Like please give him the fast version." Malik said, her face confirming she'd definitely rather do anything else.

Mana drew a breath before continuing, "Basically, when the items for sealed, they chose people to stay there and guard them. They weren't allowed to come to the surface, ever. That's how Malik ended up being raised underground. Her family ended up being the ones guarding it. They were supposed to be waiting for the Pharaoh to return and claim them, but...well…"

"I wasn't fucking living without sunlight on the off chance a long dead Pharaoh might come back to life, and when we only had six of the items anyway. I was tired of pretending to be a boy anyway." Malik said, a scowl fixed on her face.

Yugi wasn't sure if he should ask, but he did anyway: "What do you mean, 'pretending to be a boy?'"

Malik sighed. "My family had this… rather twisted...ritual, I guess, for boys when they turned eleven. A message to be given to the Pharaoh, passed down for generations. My parents were trying for a boy, but they ended up with me, and my mother died immediately after giving birth to me."

Yugi's heart sank at that, and he was surprised to see Bakura take Malik's hand, his expression genuinely sad for her. She squeezed his hand back before continuing, "My father pretty much lost it after that, according to my brother."

Yugi opened his mouth to ask why they were trying to have a boy if they already had a son, when Malik explained, "He's not really related to me or my sister. My mother found him abandoned just outside the tomb and adopted him. Anyway, upon discovering that I was not a boy, my father chose to hide this fact from everyone and pretend he'd gotten the son he always wanted. So for the first eleven years of my life, I was raised as a boy. I was referred to by male pronouns, I was taught to do all the things a boy normally did, and when I was eleven I had to endure the Very Important Ritual for Boys."

Yugi found himself having to ask, "What was the ritual?"

Malik sighed, closing her eyes and breathing for a moment. A minute or so later, she reopened them. "I hate exposing this, but you were going to find out anyway and everyone here already knows."

She stood, moving to stand in front of the couch. She reached up the back of her shirt and unhooked her bra before carefully lifting her shirt so it was at the nape of her neck. Yugi gasped. Her entire back had ancient hieroglyphics and symbols carved into it.

"Malik…" He whispered. He understood why all of her shirts were longer in the back than in the front now. It made him want to cry.

"My father did this to me. I have years of psychological damage that was only there because of him." She said, before sitting back down on the couch. He noticed she wasn't really making eye contact with anyone. "I'm pretty sure I've gone through like forty therapists trying to undo all of it. I've basically come to terms with the fact that if I want to feel better about it, I have to grow from it. I'm trying. Anyway, sometime after the ritual, he died and my siblings and I came above ground with the items. The end."

"Well, not quite the end. I haven't explained the magic part yet…" Mana said, before picking up the story again. "When the items were made, they also had magicians and sages. It turns out that one of the high priestesses was one of my ancestors, and she was very powerful. Every few generations, a woman in my family shows signs of possessing some of her gift for magic. I happen to be one of the few. I have to channel it with an artifact infused with magic though, which is why the Millennium Items work so perfectly." She explained.

"So…you're a witch. And a pop diva." Yugi said. His head was whirling. Magic was real? Its roots were in Egypt? This was all so crazy to him.

"Yes. I didn't cast some stupid spell to make people like me though. It doesn't work like that." She explained.

"What were you planning to do about Aknamkanon?" Ryou asked.

A smile slowly spread across Mana's face, and it made Yugi nervous. "Oh, I have something particularly impactful in store. I just need to gather supplies and wait another day for the full moon to start."

"What do we do until then?" Marik asked. She shrugged at him.

"Honestly? We should order some pizza and party all night. We deserve it." Mana said.

Everyone agreed, and while they discussed what they'd like to do with their evening, Yugi give himself a moment to think. This was all insane. Truly insane. He really wasn't sure how many more surprises he could handle this week. It seemed like every time he thought he knew what was going on around here the rug got pulled out from under his feet. He stood and walked over to the bar. If he was going to have a headache from having to process his day, he was going to have a large glass of wine with it.

 **A/N: Elements from the plot of YuGiOh finally start showing up in this chapter, and I hope it's not totally weird - I really wanted to make sure the Millennium Items were involved in the plot, and if they were going to be there, then there was no way magic could be absent. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! I'll update again soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! Thank you to Bluefire123 and thor94 for your reviews!**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi wasn't sure how much wine he'd had at this point, but he felt warm and happy. Everyone had spread out across the room, eating, drinking, or talking. Marik and Ryou were playing ping pong across the dining room table, laughing loudly and occasionally smacking the ball into people's faces. Bakura was sitting at the bar, glaring at Marik like he hoped he would burst into flames.

Yami was playing the piano on the other side of the room. He didn't seem to be playing anything specific, but it sounded good, regardless. Occasionally, Yugi would catch him staring at him again before he would return to playing the piano.

Yugi was on a couch, squeezed between Mana and Malik, whom he'd been sharing a bottle of wine with. At some point, Mana had gotten tired of standing to refill her glass, so she brought the whole bottle over. "We should just pass this around like we're classy." She'd said, and Malik's immediate "Oh fuck yes," as she accepted the bottle from Mana had set all three of them up to be very drunk.

Mana stood, swaying slightly. She walked down the hall and entered one of the rooms, returning moments later holding two large books and a laptop. "Look at what I found the other day!" She sing songed as she reclaimed her spot on the couch.

"What? I thought these got lost in space and time!" Malik said, very excited.

Mana handed Malik the laptop and said, "We'll get to why that's exciting later. These," she said, opening the first book, "I found at the bottom of a trunk that was on my tour bus. I totally forgot I put them there like two years ago at this point."

The first page was a large picture of Mana, Malik, Yami, and Kaiba, with two other people Yugi didn't recognize.

"Oh wow!" Malik exclaimed as she looked at it. "We look like babies!"

"This must be like six years old at this point." Mana said as she tapped the page. "I would have been...20?"

"I wasn't even 18 yet." Malik replied, a slow grin spreading across her face, "I look so gangly then. I think right after that I gained fifteen pounds in churros."

"You mean your ass gained fifteen pounds while the rest of you remained relatively the same size." Mana grinned at her.

"Shut up." Malik smacked her arm.

Yugi studied the picture. Mana was in the middle, her arms around Malik on her left and Yami on her right. Kaiba was next to him, not smiling with his arms crossed. Yugi giggled and pointed him out. "He looks so serious."

"Always." Mana laughed.

"Who are they?" He asked, curiosity finally getting to him.

"My brother and sister, Rishid and Isis." Malik said. "I need to see them soon. They must be freaking out."

"When was the last time you talked to them?" Mana asked.

Malik thought for a moment, then said, "I think it was a month ago. They were at my house this weekend to grab their things, but they didn't know what was going on. Isis just sent me the thing about singing annoyingly."

"WHAT?!" Mana half shrieked. "Call them! Skype them! Right now!"

"I'll call them tomorrow, I am not calling them while I am intoxicated. I want to actually talk to them." Malik replied.

"Fine." Mana said, staring at her while she turned the page. She and Malik kept staring at each other for a moment before they both burst into giggles.

Yugi looked at the pictures on the next page. There were multiple group shots of them in front of the Grand Canyon. "Do you remember that guy who plays that oboe looking instrument as the sun rises?" Mana asked.

Malik nodded. "Yeah, and it went with it perfectly? I remember. Is that the picture of Yami and I dangling our legs over the edge?" She was indicating the one below it, where she and Yami were definitely doing that.

"That's horrifying." Yugi said, feeling his stomach twist just looking at the image.

"Yeah, I'm the one taking the picture because I'm smart enough to not being doing that." Mana said, and Yugi laughed.

"Yes, yes you're excellent at decisions." Malik said sarcastically. Mana stuck her tongue out at her. "Honestly, that's my favorite picture of the three of us probably ever. The Hoover Dam turned out to be the best photo op." Malik said of the one on the next page, which was a large picture of Malik, Mana, and Yami. Yami was in the middle, holding hands with Malik. His other arm was tight around Mana's waist.

"We look so cool." Mana said, "You'd have no idea we are like the world's most unusual collection of humans."

"That sounds exciting. How do I join?" Yami asked, standing before them. Yugi felt himself grow nervous suddenly. He hadn't really interacted with Yami since the elevator incident earlier that day.

"You sit next to me and help us finish this bottle of wine." Mana said, lifting the bottle from the floor. It was a little under halfway full.

"You and Malik need help finishing a bottle of wine? Even with Yugi? I should be getting a doctor here. Are you two feeling all right?" He put a hand to Mana's forehead, and she smacked it away.

"Are you going to join us or keep teasing me?" Mana asked, trying to sound stern but already smiling before she finished asking.

"Yes, but only because I like the company you keep." He winked at Yugi, who really didn't need any more help making his face red. He felt like he needed to stick his face in ice or something.

The four of them spent a cramped hour on the couch looking at pictures. Yugi had initially been glad when they'd started passing the bottle of wine around again, hoping that would calm his nerves, but now he was even more worried he'd say or do something foolish.

He'd learned a lot about the three of them and their relationship as he listened to them reminisce. He hadn't known too much about the start of their friendship, and was even more surprised to find out it went back to when they were working on Mana's debut album. They ended up explaining the whole thing to him because he was having such trouble following it.

Malik had moved to Queens because Isis had gotten a job at the Museum of Modern Art. Malik often described this stage of her life as being the worst. "I grew up underground knowing only my family, and suddenly we're above ground and it's crazy noisy and there's people everywhere. I felt so incredibly stupid during that time. Everyone knew all of these things I had no idea about and cared about things I didn't even know existed...I felt so useless, because I didn't think I had any skills that helped me above ground. I couldn't even do anything beyond basic addition and subtraction, and I knew almost nothing about history or science. I had only just recently wrapped my brain around the fact that I wasn't a boy."

"I remember running out of the apartment we lived in. I ended up walking around Brooklyn for the evening. It was getting dark, and these guys pulled me into an alley and tried to mug me, but when they realized I had no money they just beat me up some more and left me there."

Yami interjected in the story, "That's how we found her, passed out, in a ball in an alley. I carried her back to our hotel room while Mana freaked out, because she was so scared that she was dying or already dead. We got her back to our room and waited for her to wake up...but Kaiba came back and started flipping out about the stranger we brought home. Then she woke up and started flipping out, and everything was crazy for a little while until we got them both calmed down. Then we started to get to know Malik, and she broke down and told us everything. When we heard the whole thing...we just wanted to help."

"So they cleaned me up, brought me home, and offered to help us. I was pretty adamant about not accepting it, but Isis and Rishid agreed that we needed friends, so we started hanging out. They started teaching me things, like math and history and science. They took me on this road trip-" she tapped the scrapbook, "to make sure I saw the world. We went to National Parks, landmarks, historic sites, theme parks...they pretty much gave me in the first year what I felt like I'd been missing for my whole life."

"I feel like we benefited from that just as much as you did." Yami said, but Malik shook her head.

"No, you two practically raised me to be a real functioning person in those months. I don't think anyone else would have had the patience. The only reason I have a career is because you and I used to have rap battles on the bus."

Yami laughed loudly at that. "I forgot about that!"

Malik smiled, "I did too until I was thinking about it the other day. I should have just signed with Kaiba Corp when you told me to instead of trying to manage my career myself."

"You needed to try it. No one could have guessed that Aknamkanon could possibly sink lower than he already had." Yami rolled his eyes and frowning.

"Anyway," Mana said, looking at Yugi. "Does the whole story make more sense now?"

"Yes. And no. I'm getting there." Yugi said, trying to wrap his brain around the whole situation.

"Do you have questions?" Malik asked.

"Thousands." Yugi replied.

"Good thing you work for me, then. You have plenty of time to ask." Malik said.

"That's true." Yugi giggled.

"Okay, but this was actually what I wanted to show you." Mana said, opening the laptop and opening a flash drive full of videos.

"No." Malik whispered like she was surprised. "You found all these?"

"Hell yes I did! I'm putting these on over the TV because I feel like everyone should see them." Mana said, locating the remote and plugging her laptop in to the TV before pressing play. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around, just as she had thought they would.

On the screen, a much younger Malik appeared. Her blonde hair was cut just above her shoulders, and she was wearing a black tank top and jeans.

"I just moved into this gorgeous suite in Kaiba Corp, and I wanted to show you around." She went into the very living room they were currently sitting in, but years previously. The room in the video looked like they had to have moved in that week, the apartment was so sparse.

"Look at this! It's this gorgeous, hand painted box I bought the other day. As you can see, it's still empty...just like the promises of all of our politicians." On screen Malik closed the box loudly and moved on.

"Over here you can see we have this hallway that leads nowhere...just like war." The phrases, "lies," "deception," and "who are the puppet masters?" Flashed on the screen for a moment, each one screamed by a man who sounded like a sports commentator, before Malik said, "Let's keep going!" Yugi noticed everyone was half laughing, but mostly trying to figure out what was happening.

"And this, is a closet. It's currently empty. You know, unlike those of our politicians, which are full of skeletons." Words flashed on the screen and the commentator shouted again, this time, "Hypocrisy," "nothing is real," and "society is full of lies." At this point, everyone was giggling consistently.

"Lastly, this is our very fancy set of room controls." Malik said, flipping the light switch. "Lights don't work," she tapped the thermostat, "no heat or air," she pressed buttons on the security pad, "this one isn't even attached to the wall. Nothing in here works." Malik walked slowly toward the camera, "Just like the two party system." More words flashed and shouted, "Consumerism!" "Buy! Buy! Buy!" "Your mom and dad lied to you!"

The video ended, and everyone was laughing at this point. "What the hell were you doing?" Marik asked her.

"Mana and Yami had just...educated me, on a lot of American politics. And I had just figured out how o use iMovie. This was what I got out of it." Malik explained, giggling herself.

"That was brilliant." Yami laughed loudly.

They watched another two hours worth of nonsense videos Malik, Mana, and Yami had made over their first year as friends. Some of them were Mana in the studio or at rehearsal, others were them messing around on their trip across the country. Several were clips of Malik and Yami rap battling, and occasionally Yugi heard lines from her future songs in development.

Eventually, they ran out of videos to keep watching, and everyone drifted back to what they'd been originally doing, except for Yami, who had chosen to stay sitting with Yugi, Mana, and Malik. "This is the fun group." He said, winking at Yugi.

Yugi, for his part, was having a great time and was very, very drunk. He was feeling fully relaxed for the first time since he'd moved to New York. He had taken a moment while they were watching their old home videos to appreciate how lucky he was. He got to move halfway across the world with his best friend, he already had the coolest job ever, he had a great group of new friends, and he didn't know when the last time he'd laughed this much.

There was one aspect of his life he still wasn't sure what to do with: Yami. He was kind, intelligent, talented, and he loved his friends fiercely. That was part of the problem. Yugi couldn't gauge his relationship with Mana at all. From what Aknamkanon had said, it had sounded like they weren't together, but in the videos he'd definitely seen them kissing and cuddling in the videos they'd watched. He felt like he should talk to Malik or Ryou about it.

"I'm going to go talk to Bakura. He is glaring daggers at Marik right now." Malik said, before standing and making her way over to the bar where Bakura was, grabbing two beers from the mini fridge underneath it and sitting on a barstool beside him. He raised his eyebrows at her but accepted the beer, turning to face her a bit more.

"That's shocking. I thought she was being really brave going over there, but he didn't rip her head off." Mana commented.

"Yeah, that's definitely weird." Yami agreed.

"Yami! Come listen to this. I wrote this earlier and I don't know if I should keep it or scrap it." Ryou called from the piano.

Yami stood and walked over to the piano. Ryou started playing the song she'd had him and Malik listen to before, but a little more developed. Yami was listening intently, though what in particular he was listening for Yugi wasn't sure. He did notice that as Ryou sang the song, Marik occasionally looked over at her with an expression Yugi could only think of as longing. When she got to the line, "been waiting and waiting for you to make a move, before I make a move," he immediately made eye contact with her.

"What's going on with those two?" Mana had scooted over on the couch so she was beside Yugi, and she whispered the question in his ear.

"It's adorable, isn't it?" Yugi whispered back.

"They've been dancing around each other for a year now. It's ridiculous." She whispered back.

"Maybe he'll take the hint?" Yugi said optimistically.

"Can I ask you a question?" He looked at Mana and noticed that she was looking at him in a way that made him feel like she was trying to see into his soul. He nodded.

"Do you like Yami?" His jaw dropped a little. How did she guess that? "I'm only asking because I keep noticing him staring at you, and I want my best friend to be happy."

While that statement cleared up almost everything for Yugi, he asked her, "You two aren't dating, right?"

She shook her head. "Yami and I have had a very long, amazing relationship. One that works better as friends. We used to date a few years ago...we've been officially broken up for three years, just about."

"Why are you asking how I feel about him?" Yugi inquired nervously.

"He likes you, Yugi. I can tell. He's staring at you right now." She was right - he looked over and caught Yami's eyes immediately. "I'm not telling you to go out with him. Just...don't feel like you can't because of me or anyone else. I know you haven't even been here a week so you probably don't want to just jump into a relationship, but I'm pretty sure he realizes that. He wants to get to know you better, he doesn't care if it's just as friends."

Yugi sat back against the couch. He didn't know what to say or think. "Thank you for telling me." He said.

She slid her hand into his and squeezed. "I know how insane this all must be. You deserve to know what's going on so you can react how you want to."

They sat like that for a while, listening to Ryou play the piano. Marik was watching her like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. Bakura and Malik were talking and laughing, and he even heard Bakura compliment her once, which made him think maybe he'd had a little too much to drink. He occasionally caught Yami staring at him again, but now he'd smile at him and stare back. This seemed to amuse Yami, who would wink at him after a moment before turning to say something to Ryou and Marik. Mana eventually leaned her head against his shoulder, and slowly, they let the sounds of their friends around them lull them to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you to Bluefire123 for your review! :)

I still don't own YuGiOh!

Yugi woke up with a pounding headache. He let out a groan as he sat up. He heard a surprised, "Ah!" He realized Mana had been sleeping against his shoulder before he moved.

"What time is it?" She asked, before letting out a loud moan and holding her head on her hands.

Yugi found his phone between the couch cushions and checked it. "2 PM."

"Holy shit." Mana said.

"Yes, you two have been out since late last night." Yami said from the kitchen. He picked up a tray by where he was standing and placed it on the table in front of them. On it were two bottles of water, four ibuprofen, and a bowl of trail mix.

"Oh, you're an angel, babe. Thank you." Mana cooed, immediately scooping up the pills and water.

"Yes, thank you, Yami." Yugi said.

"Of course. No one needs a headache right when they wake up." He smiled at him.

"What happened? I must have passed out." Mana asked.

"You did. Actually, just about everyone did. I took pictures because some of the ways people fell asleep were gold." Yami pulled out his phone and showed it to them.

The first was of Yugi and Mana leaning against each other on the couch. The sun was shining on them through the window. They looked peaceful and adorable. "That's actually super cute." Mana commented, and Yugi nodded.

"I thought so too. I also got this gem." He slid his finger left across the screen and showed them an image of Bakura and Malik behind the bar. Bakura was sitting up against the counter, with Malik's head tucked under his chin. Their arms were wrapped tightly around each other's waists, and their legs were tangled together.

"Oh wow. They look perfect together." Mana said, sounding very excited. "They'd actually be so great together. He's so loyal and consistent and she's so strong and wild."

Yami nodded. "When they woke up he even helped her up and got her water and medicine. It was so weird but if they actually happened I don't think anyone would mind. Especially Ryou." A smile spread across his face.

"Where's your picture of her, huh?" Mana challenged him.

"I wasn't able to find her or Marik all morning. I did definitely notice them slip out at one point when Bakura wasn't paying attention." Yami said, his grin huge.

One of the doors down the hall opened, and Osiris bounded out, followed by Malik, who was wearing a cropped version of Ryou's first tour shirt, black shorts, and a pair of gladiator style heels that went up to her knees. She'd pulled her hair back into a messy bun, her bangs falling into her face. Yugi noticed she was wearing a little makeup too: lip gloss and mascara, with kol lining her eyes.

Yami whistled at her, and Mana said, "Damn, girl, did you get all dressed up for us?"

Malik laughed, dropping onto the couch next to Yugi. "No, I just felt like half trying today."

"You look gorgeous." Yugi complimented, and she rewarded him with a huge smile.

"Thank you." She reached out to fix Osiris' bandana, then scratched behind his ears.

"So...Bakura, huh?" Mana asked.

"What about him?" Malik replied innocently.

"You spent a long time talking to him last night, and I heard you two were cuddling this morning." Mana looked like a cat playing with a mouse.

Malik flushed, deliberately looking away from her to pay attention to Osiris. "We just fell asleep last night after talking. That's all."

"Really? You just chatted then fell asleep?" Mana pushed.

"Yes. He's a good guy, and he's attractive, but that's it. We are friends. I don't need a boyfriend right now." Malik said firmly.

"Okay. I won't keep teasing you." Mana pat her leg before standing. "I'm going to go shower. I'm here if you ever do want to talk about boys though." She started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to say, "Or girls." She continued on, before stopping again, "Or both. Or aliens. Whatever you're into is cool." She finally exited the room.

Malik was laughing, rolling her eyes before inviting Osiris to sit next to her on the couch. The dog jumped up and curled against her, resting his head on her lap. Yami stretched before saying, "I'm going to go make sure everything is set up for later. I'll see you at dinner." He went into the elevator and disappeared behind its doors.

Yugi sighed, running his hands through his hair. He was going to need to actually get ready for the day soon, but he was feeling incredibly lazy. "I need to go shower too." He said.

"I'll come with you. I wanted to talk to you anyway." Malik said, rising to her feet.

Yugi wondered what she wanted to talk about, but didn't ask first, instead just leading the way to the elevator.

After showering and getting dressed, Yugi appeared in a room he didn't recognize. It was his, but it wasn't the way he had left it. When Malik had seen all of the still packed boxes in his room, she'd let out an extremely sad sound. "You're not even unpacked yet. I didn't even think to offer to help you." She sounded incredibly disappointed in herself.

"It's okay, it's certainly not your job to unpack for me. You technically just moved here yourself." He had tried to tell her, but she'd clearly not taken what he'd said to heart.

His books and movies were organized onto the bookshelves on either side of his TV. The top shelf of each was decorated with knick knacks and toys. His clothes were all put away in his closet, his favorite blanket was spread across his bed, and his laptop was sitting on his desk. Malik was breaking down the boxes and piling them on the floor.

"You really didn't have to do any of this." He said to her, feeling extremely shocked. He felt like he should be angry she'd gone through his things, but he couldn't bring himself to be.

"I just thought about you sleeping in here and how uncomfortable it must be to be living somewhere you're not settled. It sort of reminded me of me a few years ago. I want you to be a lot comfort and happier than I was." She explained.

"I really appreciate that you care so much. Thank you." He said, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest.

She finished breaking apart the last box. "You're welcome. This is what friends do, right?" She smiled at him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked her, sitting at the head of his bed and patting the spot beside him. She joined him, and Osiris spread out on his back in front of them, begging for them to rub his stomach. They both complied.

"I want to make sure we're on the same page as to you being my assistant. I don't need you to do a ton for me, I really just need someone to monitor me to make sure I'm not overworking or making horrible decisions. We basically should hang out more and get to know each other." She explained.

"I think that's reasonable." He agreed.

"Good. I have the perfect way to do it. I asked Anzu to hold onto these for me the other day so when we had time we could do this…" Malik stood and opened the door to his room, opening a closet in the hall and pulling out a box filled with magazines.

Yugi pulled one out. "We're going to look at teen celebrity gossip magazines?" He laughed, raising an eyebrow at her.

"What better way to get to know each other than finding out what vacation spot matches your personality?" She giggled as she said it, clearly not taking it too seriously.

They sat in his room for an hour, both laughing hysterically as they progressed through the quizzes. Yugi really did learn a lot about her, even though this was probably the silliest way to get to know a person. He'd learned that her favorite color was purple, she loved pasta, being outside, motorcycles, gardening, and scary video games. She was also most like the movie Legally Blonde, while he was like Miss Congeniality, which they both found amusing.

The last quiz they completed was by far their favorite though: "Are you Mana, Mali, Ry, or Adele?" He'd gotten Adele, which he had expected. She'd gotten Ryou, a result that had her howling with laughter.

"How is that even possible?" She was gasping for air as she laughed, "I was one of the options! How did this happen?"

"You answered that you'd rather go to a beach than a club." Yugi replied through his own laughter. He hasn't initially found it that funny, but the longer she laughed the more he did as well.

"Who the fuck made this quiz? They've definitely never met any of us. Ryou definitely loves clubs and I prefer the beach." Malik finally calmed down a bit, now just giggling. "That was brilliant."

"It was. I'm glad we did that. I feel like I know so many random things about you now." Yugi said, adjusting himself so his legs could wake up.

"I know. That was like the easiest way I've gotten to know someone ever." She agreed, leaning forward to pet Osiris, who was stretched out across the bed. "Thank you for doing that, by the way. I know I can be a bit...well, unconventional. And different."

Yugi grinned at her. "That's probably my favorite thing about you."

"Really?" He nodded at her. "Good. No one at my old label did at all. They literally thought I was so strange."

"What?" He was pretty shocked by this news.

"Yeah. I just didn't do things the way they would, and I wanted to have a close knit team, and they thought that was so weird." Malik said.

"I hate them the more I hear about them. That's seriously so ridiculous I can't wrap my mind around it. Why would they treat you like that? You're not a diva, you're not a horrible person, and you're great at what you do. I seriously want to go scream at all of them for treating you so horribly." He ranted, finishing with a huff.

She was smiling at him, her eyes shining with appreciation. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you feel that way."

"I don't know how anyone could feel differently. I don't know how anyone could look at you and not care." He said, anger radiating from his small frame.

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, whispered, "Thank you," and leaned her head against his shoulder. He flushed, anger immediately flooding from him. He put his arm around her shoulder and leaned his head against hers.

"I'm glad you moved here." She said.

"Me too." He said. He realized he meant it.

"Do you like Yami?" She asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Yugi stared at her a moment. "He's a good guy, yeah."

"Yes, but do you like him?" She pressed.

"I...think it might be a little soon to tell." He answered diplomatically.

"Really? Because your heart is beating out a samba right now." She said, calling him out.

He didn't respond initially, choosing his words carefully. "I feel like I could. There's a spark of something being there. But I don't know him that well yet to really make that call."

"If he asked you out, would you say yes?" He asked.

He thought again before responding. "It would be a great way to get to know him better."

"That's how I've been feeling too." She said. He gave her a quizzical look. "About Akefia." She explained, but he was still looking at her like she had two heads. "Bakura?" Understanding flashed across his face. Ryou had told him that was his name, but since he hadn't seemed to want to go by that name at the time, he didn't remember him by that name.

"You get to call him Akefia, huh?" He asked, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Shut up." She said, also grinning.

"It's cute. He clearly already likes you if he lets you call him by his first name. He freaked out when Ryou used it so that's very...intimate." He told her.

"I hadn't thought about it that way. I've been a bit weary about acknowledging it. That's why I played it off with Mana earlier. I've been worried that...well...he...might be interested in me for the wrong reasons." She said, sounding rather insecure.

"What would be the wrong reasons?" He asked.

"Money. Connections. My body." She stated. "I know he's Ryou's cousin, so the money and connections probably don't matter to him, but...the idea of being so vulnerable with someone terrifies me. I don't exactly have a pleasant history, I have a lot of problems, and… my back… I don't want to be alone forever but… I really don't want to end up heartbroken either."

He listened to her carefully, not responding at first. "I understand why you're worried, but...I don't think he's out to hurt you. If anything, he might be an even safer choice because if he hurt you Ryou would kick his ass."

She laughed, "I guess that's true. Tell you what," she sat up and held out her pinkie, "I'll say yes to Akefia if you say yes to Yami."

"Deal." He linked his pinkie with hers.

She looked at the clock she'd hung on his wall. "We should head upstairs. Mana said we'd all do dinner together."

"Let's go." He said, standing and following her out.

Malik had held on to Yugi's pinkie the entire elevator ride, while Osiris looked between them excitedly. They arrived in the suite, spotting Yami in the kitchen cooking, Bakura sitting at the island watching him. He waved at Malik as they entered, and she squeezed his pinkie before heading over to him. Yugi noticed the way he looked at her, like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

Yugi found himself approaching Yami. _Just be cool, Yugi_. "Hi." He greeted.

Yami smiled at him warmly. "Hello, Yugi. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, how are you?" He asked. _That was a real sentence, this is good._

"Much better now." He replied, and Yugi felt his heart pound.

"What are you making?" Yugi was starting to get nervous, but he tried to keep it at bay.

"I made homemade pizza, and I'm making pudding for dessert. I already prepared a salad that's in the refrigerator too." He told him, seeming proud.

"I didn't know you cook." Yugi said.

"It's one of many things I enjoy doing." Yami replied.

"Really? What else do you like?" Yugi asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I like music, obviously, and hiking, games and puzzles-"

"What kind of games?" He asked again, feeling a bubble of excitement. If he had found a new gaming partner in Yami, they'd have plenty of things to talk about.

"Video games, board games, cards…" He replied, and he and Yugi were able to keep talking for quite a while about their favorite games and strategies.

It was about half an hour later that the elevator dinged announcing a new arrival. Malik and Bakura were deep in conversation, so neither of them looked up at the sound, but Yami and Yugi both did.

From the elevator emerged two people. Yugi recognized them vaguely from the scrapbook they'd looked through the night before: they were definitely Malik's siblings. He felt a wave of fear overtake him as he looked at her sister's face. She looked about ready to tear someone apart.

"MALIK ISHTAR!" She shouted, and Malik froze where she was, turning around slowly to look at her sister.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Malik looking nervous, Isis looking like a brewing storm. Rishid's face was completely blank. They all stared at each other, the air tense. After a long moment, Rishid held his arms out, and said, "Come here," his tone warm but concerned.

Malik's lip trembled a moment, before she leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms. He caught her and spun around, laughing loudly as he held her. Yugi found himself smiling at the sight of them reuniting. Malik buried her face in her brother's neck and shoulder, murmuring something.

"Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. You're perfect." Rishid said, and Yugi noticed Malik started trembling. "Tell me you at least kicked his ass." Rishid ran his hand up and down her back, silently reassuring her that she was okay.

Malik hiccupped and giggled before letting him go and turning to Isis. "Hello, sister." She said, not jumping in her arms the way she had with Rishid.

"Oh, stop acting like I'm going to demonize you and come here." Isis said, pulling her sister into her arms.

Malik laughed, embracing her sister tightly. "You're not mad?" She asked.

"I'm positively livid, but not with you. I want to tear that sniveling, inconsiderate, worthless piece of scum limb from limb for what he did to you." Isis seemed practically feral she was so angry.

Malik squeezed her sister tightly. "Thank you."

"Oh, good, you've arrived." Yugi jumped at the sound of Mana's voice from behind the siblings. They turned to look at her. Her hair was braided around her head with a burgundy cloth, and she was wearing robes the same color. She looked like a voodoo queen about to take on the world. "That's excellent. We have work to do."

Yugi followed Mana, Yami, Bakura, Malik, and her siblings into the dance studio. Ryou and Marik were already waiting for them. On the floor was a large circle with symbols drawn on it. In the middle was a golden staff with a large eye on the front of it, a pocket watch, and a chalice. Around the circle there were many candles flickering.

"Okay everyone. Let's take down Sennen Records." Mana said, clapping her hands together. "I need everyone to gather around the circle and hold hands."

They did as instructed, Yugi standing between Ryou and Yami, sliding his hands into both of theirs. Yami squeezed his hand, and when Yugi glanced at him, he winked.

"I'm going to start. Everyone, stay calm, and focus on why we're here." Mana said, breathing deeply. She stepped toward the center of the circle, picking up the rod. She pulled it apart, revealing that the end of it was actually a sharp blade.

Mana began chanting, walking around the circle slowly. Yugi could feel the energy in the air change, intensifying with a change he couldn't fully identify. Mana approached the chalice, sliding the blade from the rod across the palm of her hand and squeezing the blood into the chalice. As she did, wind suddenly started blowing.

Yugi tightened his grip on Yami's hand, feeling very nervous. He wasn't really sure what was happening, but he hoped whatever it was Mana was doing, it worked.

The rod in her hands started glowing brightly, and Yugi felt the air warm up slightly. The wind was positively howling at this point, and Mana was shouting over it. He realized as he watched her that her feet were a few inches off the floor at this point. He tried not to think about how that was possible. Moments later, the rod in her hand flashed so brightly Yugi could only see white for a moment before his eyes refocused.

The wind had ceased, and all of the candles were out. Mana was lying on the floor, seemingly asleep. Yugi felt Yami pull his hand from his as he walked over to her, lifting her carefully from the floor. "She did it." He said, facing Malik and her siblings. "When my father gets to work tomorrow, everyone he's ever worked with will be dropping from the label and he will be left with nothing."

Malik smiled brightly at him. "That's amazing." She stepped toward them, leaning down to peck Mana on the cheek. "Thank you," she said. Mana didn't move.

"She'll wake up sometime tomorrow. That took a lot out of her." Yami said, carrying her toward the elevator.

"How did she do that?" Yugi asked him, sincerely confused by what he'd just seen.

"She drained the power from the Millennium Rod, so now it's entirely useless. Mana can channel magical artifacts to use their power, but she can't actually produce any herself. The first time it happened she was holding this necklace…" He was grinning at something he was seeing in his head. Yugi wished he could see what it was.

"I remember that. Wasn't that one of the most epic pictures of you two ever?" Ryou asked.

Yami nodded. "It's definitely my favorite one of the two of us."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at them, and Ryou pulled out her phone to show him the picture. In it, teenage Mana and Yami were sitting together in a chair, with her on his lap, her legs dangling over the right chair arm. She was holding something in her hands, and a ripped pillow was on the floor in front of them. Feathers floated in the air around them. Mana was looking at them mystified, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Yami was looking at her like she'd just created the sun and given it to him. Yugi's stomach churned at the sight.

"Did she make the feathers float?" He asked, noticing how tight his voice was.

Ryou nodded. "I wasn't there for it, but I love this picture. They both look so young and sweet."

"Yeah." He said half heartedly. He noticed Yami giving him a funny look.

They took the elevator back up, all unloading into the living room. Yami carried Mana down the hall, opening the door to her room and carrying her in. Ryou and Rishid went to the kitchen together, taking the food out of the oven where it was keeping warm and setting the table.

Several minutes later, Yami returned. "Is she doing okay?" Isis asked, concerned.

He nodded. "I just made sure her hair was down and she was in pajamas under her robes. She told me, 'not to leave her in that heavy fabric all night.'" Yami said, using air quotes.

"Well, you're just in time for dinner." Ryou called from where she and Rishid were putting the finishing touches.

"Excellent!" Yami called, making a beeline for the table.

"Why didn't Mana wait until after dinner to do the spell?" Malik asked.

"She hates doing magic on a full stomach. She's going to eat enough to feed an army tomorrow morning." Yami grinned.

Their group ate merrily, Yami taking the time to catch up with Isis and Rishid, who he seemed to know well. Yugi noticed Malik was particularly quiet, observing her siblings with her friend, but when he caught her eye she smiled at him, so he figured she was probably nervous about the spell.

He also saw Ryou and Marik trying to subtly flirt with each other, but it was still very obvious. Bakura would glare at them, but then he'd look over at Malik and a soft, tender smile would form on his face, before he would catch himself and go back to glaring at Marik. Yugi made a note to point this out to Malik, hoping it would make her happy.

After they'd all eaten, everyone seemed about ready to go to bed. Rishid was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and Yugi could feel the exhaustion in his bones. He hugged Malik, agreeing to meet her early the next morning. He hugged Ryou as well, glancing at Marik and waggling his eyebrows at her as if to say, 'Do you like him?' She rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand, smiling at him before walking back over to Marik.

Yugi said goodnight to everyone else, about to leave when Yami stopped him. "I'll walk you back to your room." He said.

They stepped onto the elevator together, Yugi wondering why Yami was joining him on what would be a minute long journey back to the apartment he shared with Anzu.

"Can I be honest with you?" Yami asked him. He nodded at him. "I...want to get to know you better. I felt a strong connection to you as soon as I saw you that first day." He said.

Yugi was staring at him, wide eyed. "Really?" He asked. Yami nodded, and Yugi noticed for the first time that he seemed nervous. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. They started walking toward his apartment. "I'd...like that. A lot." Yugi said.

"Really?" Yami's eyes lit up as he looked at him. "You mean it?"

They reached his door. "Yes. I...feel connected to you too." Yugi confessed to him.

Yami looked at him a moment, before he leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yugi." He smiled at him and walked back onto the elevator.

Yugi turned and watched him go, a blush flooding his face as he touched the place Yami's lips had just touched. Happiness flooded his chest and he practically skipped to bed that night.

 **I'll post more as soon as I have it! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I still don't own YuGiOh! Any songs I use in this chapter are credited at the end (I hate spoilers).**

Yugi stood in the elevator, holding two cups of coffee and humming to himself. He was in an amazing mood, and he was excited to see Yami again. He stepped off the elevator and walked through the living room, heading directly to the hall to knock on Malik's door. He heard her approach from the other side, opening it with a grin.

"Good morning!" She greeted him cheerily.

"Coffee?" He out one of the cups to her and she accepted it gratefully.

"You're fantastic, Yugi." She said, taking a long sip and letting out a satisfied hum. "Coffee is the elixir of the gods, I'm certain."

He laughed at that before following her into her room. He hadn't been in her room yet, and he was surprised to see she had ven fewer items than he did. She had a vanity with various products on it across from her bed, which had a deep purple duvet on it. She had two bowls on the floor with food and water for Osiris, and a side table with a small cactus garden on it. On her desk was a laptop.

"Give me just a second to grab my bag. I want to go check on Mana before we do anything else today." She said, grabbing a small black backpack and putting her laptop and a notebook into it.

They crossed the hall to Mana's room. Yami was sitting in a blue armchair when they walked in. He had appeared to be sleeping, but his eyes opened as soon as they walked in.

"How's she doing?" Malik asked, setting her bag down beside Yami's chair.

"Still sleeping. She should wake up soon though." He replied, stretching casually.

"I see her hand already healed." Malik noted, looking at where Mana's left hand was exposed.

"Yes, it healed relatively quickly. I was worried when she did it that it wouldn't." Yami smiled at them. "Good morning, Yugi." He greeted warmly, and Yugi felt the color rise in his cheeks.

"Good morning, Yami." He smiled back at him.

"Who's this little guy?" Malik asked Yami, and Yugi noticed for the first time a bearded dragon with odd purple coloration sitting on Yami's shoulder, hiding himself in Yami's hair.

"Oh, this is Mahad. Mana and I found him at a pet store last year. You haven't met him yet?" Yami scooped the creature up so it was resting on his hand and held him out to Malik, who immediately placed him on her shoulder.

"Hi, Mahad. You're a cutie, aren't you?" Malik cooed at him.

They heard a moan from the bed, where Mana finally stirred, her eyes opening slowly. Yami stood and left the room, returning quickly with a tray. On it was a plate of waffles, a bowl of chopped fruit, a glass of water, and a mug of cocoa with whipped cream. Mana looked at him like he'd brought her a unicorn.

"You're perfect." She beamed at him, her voice a bit gravelly from sleep.

"That's a bit much, but I'm glad this made you happy." He reclaimed his chair, and Malik sat on the far end of the bed.

"Mana...I seriously owe you for this. I can't even begin to-"

Mana held up a hand and stopped Malik from continuing, swallowing the waffle in her mouth before speaking. "You owe me nothing. You have had enough horrible shit happen to you to last a lifetime. It was beyond time that someone did something to help you. What is happening over at Sennen Records, anyway?"

Yami grabbed the TV remote, finding a news channel and waiting. The four of them watched intently as Mana continued eating. After several minutes, the story they were waiting for finally came on.

"In strange news, Sennen Records has gone bankrupt seemingly overnight. Sennen Records, recently involved in a scandal involving one of their clients, Malik Ishtar, had been taking a lot of heat for their treatment of Ishtar during her time at their label. No official word has gotten out about why or how this happened, but we have reached out to CEO Aknamkanon for comment. We will update this story as soon as we know more." Throughout the reporter's speech, images of employees from the company could be seen carrying boxes from their headquarters, most of them looking lost and confused.

"Malik, is there anyone who worked at Sennen Records that we should try and recruit? Anyone who didn't deserve this?" Yami asked.

"A few. I'll make Kaiba a list." She said.

"Good. If you're all set, Mana, I'm going to take Malik to the studio. Do you need anything?" Yami asked her.

She considered his question, glancing at the lizard on Malik's shoulder. "Leave me Mahad. I could use the company, and we can share." Malik handed Mana the dragon, and she placed him on her chest, picking up a blueberry from her tray and feeding it to him. He ate it happily, snuggling against her happily.

Yami shook his head. "I will never understand your odd connection."

"He listens to all my secrets and doesn't share them." Mana said, stroking the top of Mahad's head with two fingers.

"Well, enjoy your bonding time." Yami said, patting her head. Malik walked to her and pecked her on the cheek.

"Thank you again." She said.

Mana waved her away with a smile. "Shoo. Go make beautiful music."

Yugi waved to her as he followed the others out of the room. They went down a few floors and Yugi found himself in a large recording studio filled with different kinds of equipment and instruments.

"This is so weird. I haven't been in one of these with you in years." Malik said to Yami.

"I know. It's exciting, isn't it?" He grinned at her. "Now what have you been working on?"

Malik pulled out her notebook and laptop, and she and Yami set to work. She explained to him what she'd last been working on, and he would ask her questions about how she wanted it to sound or what she wanted to express. They spent almost two hours discussing different ideas and playing each other different beats and sounds, occasionally playing them together. After what seemed like forever, Malik finally started rapping over it, though they were only recording it on their laptops, not using the fancy equipment around them.

As they played it back, Malik giggled a bit. "This is already so much better than what I was working on. This is amazing."

"I'm excited about this. I think you and I are going to make music magic on this album." He told her.

"What time is it?" She asked Yugi.

"It's just about twelve." He said after checking his phone.

"Let's take a break for now. I want to go check on Mana anyway." Yami said, cracking his neck before standing.

Yugi stretched quickly before following them. He felt like he'd learned a lot about what went into making a song today, and he was excited to see what the next step would be.

They found Mana with Ryou in the gym, running hard on the stair climber. They had Malik's last album blasting loudly, both of them screaming along to it.

"YO! What I got to do to show these girls that I own them? Some call me Mali and some call me Melvin!" They both shouted. Yugi saw Malik laugh, watching them both with a large smile for a moment before she turned off their speaker system.

"If you need a bad bitch lemme call a few- HEY!" They both yelled at the same time, turning to see who cut off their music. Ryou squealed upon seeing them and jumped off of her machine immediately. Mana quickly followed her.

"We were going to go grab lunch. Do you want to come?" Malik asked them.

"Sure. I could eat a horse right about now." Ryou said.

"Just let us shower and change first." Mana agreed.

Yami, Malik, and Yugi went down to the restaurant on the second floor, finding a private booth and ordering a huge salad to start. While they picked at it, they somehow ended up taking silly pictures together. They had several with bunny ears, crossed eyes, and weird faces. Yugi cracked up particularly loudly when he snapped a picture of Malik licking Yami's cheek.

"Oh, no, gross!" He pushed her off of him, chuckling and wiping his face with his napkin.

"It's actually a really funny picture." Yugi held his phone out to them so they could see.

"That's amazing." Malik grinned as she looked at it, taking Yugi's phone from his hand to see it better. "You're making the best reaction face, Yami."

"I look horrified." He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too.

Mana and Ryou arrived a few moments later, waitress in tow so they could all order their lunches. They all ordered grilled cheeses and soup, agreeing that they wanted it to be as easy for the kitchen to make as possible. The waitress tried to insist they could get something more sophisticated if they wanted, but they all agreed there wasn't a need.

After they ordered, Mana gasped, "Oh, I haven't heard this song in forever!" Yugi could hear the tell tale sound of Baby Got Back playing. Mana, Ryou, and Yami all picked up the song with Sir Mix a Lot, loudly rapping along. As the song progressed, he noticed Malik seemed to be deep in thought. She pulled her laptop out of the bag she'd brought with her, plugging in her headphones and immediately setting to work on something. The other three noticed and looked over at Yugi, who shrugged.

Several minutes later, the waitress returned with their sandwiches and tomato soup. Malik removed her headphones when she saw her approaching. Yami raised his eyebrows at her, and she smiled widely at him. "Wait until you hear this, Yami, you're going to flip."

"That good?" He asked, and she nodded.

Upon realizing this meant hearing Malik's new song, Mana and Ryou immediately started devouring their food, Yami following suit. Yugi hadn't realized how excited they each got to hear each other's work and see each other in action. They got just as excited as devoted fans did.

Ten minutes later, they were all back in the studio, Yami sitting before a panel of controls and Malik hooking up her laptop in the soundproof booth. Mana and Ryou stood behind Yami, both buzzing with energy. "Is it weird that I'm so excited for this?" Ryou asked.

"No, I literally want to jump on Twitter and tell everyone on the planet that I get to hear new music from Malik before them." Mana said, and Yami laughed.

"Are you guys all set?" Malik said into the microphone so they could hear her. Yami pressed a few buttons and gave her a thumbs up.

Malik pressed something on her laptop. "My anaconda don't!" Came Sir Mix-a-Lot's infamous line, but Yugi quickly realized that it had been mixed, so it didn't quite sound like the original. Iconic sounds were left, but the track had been stripped down to the barest of the original production.

He'd been so focused on the track playing that he jumped when Malik came in with, "Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit…" He watched Malik let loose, finally starting to see what she'd meant by being different when recording.

While he'd gotten to know Malik as a person, he hadn't really gotten to know her stage character that well. He'd gotten to see her feeling insecure and sad, but working to be optimistic and be better as a person. This Malik was fierce and powerful, emanating confidence and sexuality like he'd never seen. Ryou and Mana were watching her, completely entranced and clearly enjoying her interpretation of Baby Got Back.

Malik kept going for almost three minutes, finally stopping when the track cut out abruptly. "That's all I've got." She said, looking at them expectantly.

Ryou and Mana immediately started talking at the same time, gushing over how great it had been. Malik laughed, "It was the first take and it wasn't fully produced. It can't have been that great." Yami started shaking his head while she was talking, pressing several buttons and moving sliders up and down the soundboard.

"No, that was fucking brilliant. It needs a little production, and we need to figure out an outro, but...you're really on to something with this, Malik. That was...out of this world." He said, and Yugi noticed how proud he sounded as he complimented her.

"Really? You liked it that much? I was a little worried it would be too much." Malik explained.

"Honestly? Take it further. You're on your third album, you can be as outright with what you want to say as you want." Yami continued pressing buttons, finally playing what he'd been working on.

He'd added a few bass lines and new sounds, particularly the sound of a drop of water, which steadily kept time. He'd also added Sir Mix-a-Lot's lines in around the chorus, as well as the girls from the original track saying, "Oh my god, look at her butt."

Malik made a delighted noise as she heard the additions he'd made. "It sounds so good!"

"I'm glad you like it. Want to do a take two?" He asked, and she nodded. "Okay. You wrote your lyrics one your laptop?" She nodded again. "Email it to me before we start again. I want to be able to reference them." She did as he asked, and then he started the track over.

Malik went through the song again, making small changes lyrically as she went. Yami noted them on his laptop as she went, and when she finished they immediately started talking about ways to make it better.

It was a totally different process than what had happened that morning, where they'd mostly discussed what her new music would sound like. The actual song writing process took a lot longer and was very nit picky. Malik had redone several takes just because she hadn't liked the way a certain word sounded when she spoke or one of them had come up with a better line to use. Occasionally, Yami would add in new instruments or sounds, and depending on how Malik felt about it, they either got to stay or developed into something else.

Finally, it was at a place where they were satisfied with it. Malik asked what time it was, and upon realizing they'd spent five and a half hours working on this song. It was crazy to Yugi that a song that lasted less than five minutes took such a long time to make, but Yami and Malik were both definitely perfectionists, and Yugi knew he'd probably have this song memorized by the time anyone outside the studio heard it.

They returned to the penthouse, and what they saw when they got there made all of their jaws drop. Bakura was having tea with Isis and Rishid, all of them getting along quite amicably. Bakura had just said something to make them laugh.

"What is going on?" Ryou asked, clearly baffled.

"Oh, hello, everyone. We were just having tea with Bakura here." Isis explained, smiling at him. Bakura seemed almost too proud of how Isis and Rishid had taken to him.

"Bakura? Being social?" Yami questioned.

"I can be nice." Bakura said defensively.

"Yes, but what's your angle?" Yami asked.

"Hey! That's rude! Couldn't I just want new friends?" Bakura looked a little annoyed as he glared at Yami.

"It's just different, is all. It's not bad." Ryou said, trying to diffuse a potential fight.

Yugi noticed Bakura look over at Malik, his eyes softening almost instantly and a small smile forming on his face. Malik smiled back at him and walked over to their table to sit with the three of them.

"I wish someone would look at me like that." Mana whispered in Yugi's ear, and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Look at how Bakura's looking at Malik. He clearly adores her. He's looking at her like she's the most precious treasure in the world."

Yugi had noticed it too, though he was certain Malik hadn't. Ryou agreed from beside them. "I've never seen him like this with anyone. I can't decide if I should be encouraging this or not."

"Oh, encourage it, Ryou. Look at that. It's so sweet it hurts my soul." Mana said, and Yugi noticed the slight look of longing in her eyes.

"You'll find someone someday, Mana." Ryou said, patting her back.

"I know. I'm going to go get Mahad." Mana said, quickly heading toward Yami's room to fetch him.

Yugi wasn't sure when it happened, but sometime after they ate dinner, their group somehow ended up playing Truth or Dare. No one had to answer anything dramatic or do anything that threatened their day to day life, they mostly had to do things like tell the story of their worst fan encounter or sing "I Will Always Love You" at the top of their lungs from the balcony.

About half an hour into their game, Yami asked Ryou to tell them about her scariest experience, which as it turned out was at this very haunted college she'd visited at the beginning of her career. "I was at a costume party, and I ended up talking to this guy named Henry who was dressed like a Civil War soldier. He kept telling me he couldn't go into the new part of the house, but I didn't understand why so I ended up ditching him accidentally. When I asked if anyone had seen him, the students were all like, 'oh, that's just Henry, he's a ghost.' They said it exactly that casually." Ryou told them.

"That's fucked up." Mana said, shivering slightly. Mahad, who was sitting on her shoulder, snuggled in closer to her like he was also weirded out by the story.

"Okay, Yugi, truth or dare?" Ryou said, grinning devilishly.

"Truth. I am not doing the Cotton Eyed Joe for ten minutes again." He said, and their group giggled at the way he'd been previously tortured by Mana.

"Okay. What would be your ideal first date?" Ryou asked, trying to seem innocent, but Yugi could tell this question was deliberately for Yami's benefit.

"Oh, I don't know. I like doing things I haven't done before, so I guess as long as it's not completely unreasonable, I want to try something new." Yugi shrugged as he said answered.

"That's actually a good way to bond." Malik pointed out, and he nodded.

"If I'm going out with anyone, I want it to be someone I actually want to bother knowing." He said. "Is that a good enough answer?"

"Yes. That's perfect, actually. Thank you." Ryou said.

"Good. Mana! Truth or dare?" He asked, grinning at her. He had an idea of what he wanted to make her do in revenge for making him line dance earlier.

"Dare." She said, standing to prepare herself for whatever he was going to make her do.

"I dare you to kiss that bearded dragon." He said.

"What? That's a silly dare." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Have you ever done it before?" He asked her.

"Well...no." She said, lifting the lizard from her shoulder and holding him in front of her face.

She stared at Mahad for a long moment, like she wasn't sure if she should do it. "C'mon, Mana, this is a two second dare." Bakura egged her on.

"Okay, okay, I'm doing it." Mana said. She looked at the lizard for a moment, who seemed to be waiting pretty intently for a lizard.

Mana lifted the lizard to her lips, and quickly touched hers to the front of his mouth. There was a flash of light, and then all hell broke loose.

When Yugi's eyes refocused, he realized Mana was kissing a tall man with long brown hair, and he wasn't wearing clothing. Mana's eyes popped open, and she shoved him away from her with a shriek. Everyone else seemed to realize he was there at the same time, immediately leaping to their feet and and screaming.

The man grabbed a blanket from the couch by where they were sitting and wrapped it around himself. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Let me explain!" He tried to calm them down so he could speak, and their group did silence to listen to him, except for Mana.

"Who the fuck are you?! Where did you come from?! Where did my lizard go?!" She screamed at him, horrified and confused by what had happened.

"I can explain! Just let me explain-" He started to say, but Mana was hysterical at this point.

"How are you here? This doesn't make sense. What is going on?" Mana was almost in tears, she was freaking out so badly.

"My name is Mahad. I got turned into a bearded dragon two years ago by...well, I'm not really sure who she was. But you kissed me and it broke the curse." He explained, but Mana just shook her head.

"No. No. This is insane. Absolutely not. No." Mana said, before she ran to the elevator and disappeared.

Everyone else was gaping at Mahad, clearly very disturbed. "Ah...hello." He said, awkwardly. "I hate to ask this but...could I borrow a pair of pants?"

 **I don't own Pound the Alarm (Nicki Minaj), Baby Got Back (Sir Mix-a-Lot), or Anaconda (Nicki Minaj). I rock out to them frequently, and I like to pretend I'm Nicki Minaj, but that's an entirely other story.**

 **I'll have more to come soon!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you Myfanfics! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying this story :) I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi had been positive the excitement in their lives would have to die down, but he'd been mistaken. After Yami had fetched their new addition some clothing, they regrouped in the living room to find out exactly what had happened to him.

It turned out that three years ago, Mahad had been in his final year of his residency to become a doctor, when he'd had a particularly bad day and seriously pissed off a witch. "She turned me into a bearded dragon instead of a frog. Apparently she wasn't feeling ironic that day." He had told them, rolling his eyes.

"So how the fuck did I end up spending a hundred dollars on you in a pet store?" Yami asked him. He was handling the situation the best somehow, and he was still completely baffled.

"I got caught and brought to a pet store. I remember them saying they thought I'd sell fast because I had purple coloration and that was rare. I remember being terrified that I was going to end up with some horrible person and end up dead, but then you picked me out. Thank you for not being horrible, by the way." The gratitude in his tone was obvious.

"You're welcome. This is so weird." Yami dropped his head into his head into his hands. "I have such a headache now."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know any of this was going to happen. I wish Mana would come back so I could properly apologize to her." Mahad said, his eyes remorseful. He'd taken to staring at the elevator throughout his tale, hoping the girl would come back.

"She'll come around. At least she already knows magic is real. That should speed the process up a bit." Yami looked at Mahad. "I can't believe your name is actually Mahad. I thought for sure Mana came up with that from nowhere."

"I don't know how she knew either. When she first said it, I thought for a moment I might be a human again, but…" He shook his head.

"Okay. Well now that you've explained yourself, I think you should eat something while I go find Mana. I'll try to get her to come hear you out." Yami said, standing and patting Mahad's knee. "You should come with me, Yugi."

"Oh. Okay. Sure." He said, before standing to follow him. He stepped onto the elevator with Yami, who punched the button for the roof.

"This is insane." Yami dragged a hand down his face, looking exhausted.

"I seriously think I might be losing my mind." Yugi agreed with him.

Yami smiled tiredly at him. "You and me both."

When the reached the roof, Yami took his hand and led him out into a huge garden and sitting area Yugi hadn't known existed. There were multiple garden beds, a fountain, and a fire pit surrounded by an outdoor couch. There was also a picnic table and an a separate seating area surrounded by a canopy. The entire area was lit with fairy lights.

"This is amazing." Yugi breathed, feeling like he'd just entered a fantasy world.

Yami squeezed his hand. "I think she's over there. I'll bring you back up here once we know she's okay."

Yugi nodded, still looking around in awe as Yami led him to the outdoor couch, where Mana was stretched out. She looked like she'd been crying. Yami dropped his hand, and Yugi wanted nothing more than to immediately take it back into his. He felt cold suddenly.

"Hi, sweetie. Are you okay?" Yami asked, sitting by her feet.

She sighed. "Yes. No. I don't know."

"The whole situation is fucked up, but he didn't mean for any of this to happen. Especially freaking you out. He was really hoping you wouldn't ever have to know about it, actually." Yami told her.

"It terrified me a lot. It was also just…" She closed her eyes and sighed again.

"Just what?" Yami asked her.

Mana sat up, looking at Yugi and patting the spot beside her. He took a seat, and she ran a hand through her hair. "When he changed into a person he kissed me back, and it was like...I haven't kissed anyone since…" She was stumbling to say what she wanted.

"Since we broke up?" Yami supplied, and she nodded.

"I think I made out with Ryou in that one music video, but that didn't really mean anything." She said, and Yugi gaped at her.

"Which one was that?" He asked her. He had no recollection of the video she was talking about.

"Paparazzi. So that would have been the last time before tonight." She recalled.

"It's been a long time then." Yami said.

Mana nodded. "I wasn't expecting it either. I was just planning on pecking him on his lizard lips and next thing I know I'm kissing a naked man with strong arms and great pecs."

"He is really attractive." Yami agreed, and Yugi hummed in agreement.

"It's so bizarre though. I can't even comprehend it. Like...what the fuck just happened?" She let out a confused laugh.

"Nothing that can be explained by logic." Yugi said to her.

"So what do we do with him? His family must think he died at this point. He just spent a lot of time being a fucking lizard." She said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, all silently thinking. Finally, Yugi spoke. "We help him. That's what this group does. I've been here less than a week and I know and see that."

Yami nodded. "I'll talk to Kaiba in the morning. We can definitely help him find his family and finish his degree."

"I guess we should go get to work then." Mana said, standing and heading toward the elevator. Both boys immediately jumped up to follow her.

When they arrived back downstairs, they found Mahad talking to Malik's siblings. Everyone else seemed to have disappeared. Upon spotting them with Mana, Mahad's face lit up. Yugi had noticed that the man seemed to be interested in her, and made a note to point it out to Yami later.

"Hello. I'm sorry about how we met earlier - I'm not usually so forward, what with the kissing and my lack of clothing. I was just very grateful that you made me a human again. I hope I haven't scared you off completely." He said to Mana formally.

"I wasn't expecting it, but I'm glad that you're not still a bearded dragon. I'm Mana." She extended a hand to him, clearly intending to shake his.

He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing it quickly before letting go. Mana flushed bright red immediately. "I'm Mahad. It's lovely to finally be able to talk to you." He said to her as he let go of her hand.

Yugi glanced at Yami, and noticed that he was beaming as he watched his best friend interact with Mahad. Yugi had been worried that maybe Yami wasn't as over Mana as everyone said he was, but the more time he spent around both of them, the more he was convinced otherwise. Which was good, because he was starting to accept that he'd like to get to know Yami better.

"Let me walk you to your room." Yami said to him with a smile.

"Again? Anzu's going to think I don't know where it is." Yugi replied with a grin.

"Can't a man be courteous?" Yami asked with a wink, which made Yugi blush.

The two headed for the stairwell, Yugi hoping the walk would mean extra moments with the man. Yami was about to say something to him, when they heard an odd noise followed by a moan. Yami held up a hand to alert Yugi to be quiet, before leaning over the railing to see what was happening. Yugi joined him and gaped at what he saw.

Two floors down, Ryou and Marik were kissing furiously. His arms were tight around her and her hands were in his hair. Yami looked at his with a large grin on his face, putting a finger to his lips before sneaking down to Yugi's floor and exiting the area. As soon as they were out of the stairwell, Yami burst into giggles.

"That's awesome, I'm happy for Ryou. I hope it works out for the two of them." He said, and Yugi agreed.

"It's truly adorable, so I hope it goes well for them." He smiled at Yami, who said, "yeah," before staring at Yugi with a smile on his face.

"What? Do I have something in my teeth?" Yugi asked, immediately reaching for his mouth.

Yami shook his head before touching his cheek. "No, you're...perfect." He said, staring deeply into Yugi's eyes.

Yugi's heart was pounding. He hadn't realized how close they'd been standing together, and he felt himself leaning toward Yami slowly…

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yugi." He said to him, kissing his cheek for a second night in a row before he started to walk away.

Yugi stared at him for a second before grabbing him by the hand. Yami half turned to look at him, and Yugi pressed his lips to his.

It was like time froze, and for a glorious moment, everything in the world was perfect. Yugi felt himself melt a little against Yami, who started kissing him back immediately. They stayed like that for a minute, sweetly kissing each other until Yami reluctantly pulled away from him. Yugi was terrified that Yami was going to react horribly to it, but instead the man smiled at him and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Yugi." Before pecking him on the lips one lay time and walking away.

Once he was gone, Yugi immediately let out a whoop of joy. He didn't know what had come over him, but he felt like he was over the moon. Yami had kissed him. Him! He let himself freak out for a moment before texting Malik that he'd want to talk to her early in the morning. He fell asleep that night with a huge smile on his face and his dreams filled with thoughts of a certain red eyed Egyptian.

 **More to come soon!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! It took me a while to write this one - I was scrolling through one of the last chapters and noticed a bunch of errors. I'm typing all of this on my iPhone so sometimes autocorrect likes to swoop in and hijack my sentences. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has been reading this story. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

Yugi's feeling of euphoria from the night before carried over into the next morning. He was so happy - Yami had kissed his cheek but Yugi had grabbed him by the hand and actually kissed him. He'd never done anything like that in his life, and he was proud that he'd taken the initiative.

He had practically skipped to the Starbucks on the bottom floor of Kaiba Corp. Malik had sent him a message asking if he'd bring her, Ryou, and Mana coffees. **I'm really sorry to ask you to do that. I feel like an asshole any time I ask someone to get me a drink.**

Yugi texted her back a quick, 'It's fine you're buying me a large mug of tea,' before placing the order and putting it on Malik's tab. He waited off to the side while the baristas worked, people watching for a moment. He had wondered how popular a coffee shop in a business building would be, and the answer was insanely busy. People were bustling around, getting their coffees and talking on their phones. He noticed a green haired boy with glasses who also must have been an assistant rushing out with two carrying trays full of drinks.

As Yugi watched the boy leave, he spotted two people who made him feel uneasy. He wasn't sure what it was about them, but he pulled out his phone and pretended to be looking at it as he observed them. One was a tall, pretty blonde woman, the other was a brown haired man who was wearing goggles. He watched them as they made their way to the counter and ordered. He was starting to think maybe he was just being rude, because they seemed perfectly normal, but when they made their way over to wait by him, he eavesdropped on them immediately.

"They do tours of this place twice a day. We should be able to go on the one in half an hour." The man said, and Yugi immediately picked up on his Australian accent.

"How do you know she's even here? This is stupid." The woman said to him, coldly. Her statement set off alarm bells in Yugi's head.

"You're kidding, right? You know just as well as I do she came crawling her way over here after everything happened." The man said to her.

"We're never going to actually see her though. This is pointless. What are you really planning on doing?" She questioned him.

"Exactly what the boss told me to do." The man said. The barista called their order and they took their coffees out of the shop.

As they walked out, Yugi took a picture of them from behind. He normally would never do that, but they'd put him enough on edge that he felt the need to tell someone. The barista called to him to tell him his drinks were done, and he carried them out to the elevator. As he stepped into it, he got a text from Malik saying she was in the studio and to meet them there.

He arrived at the recording area, rushing to get to his friends. He spotted the girls sitting with Yam around a tablei, which made him feel better. Now he could tell everyone what he needed to all at once.

"Hi, Yugi, you handsome man you." Mana said to him with a smile as she accepted her latte from him.

Yami looked up at him and smiled broadly at him, and he felt his insides flutter as he smiled back. While he wasn't entirely sure where they stood, he was certain it was a good place.

"You're perfect, Yugi." Ryou said as she took her tea and Malik's hibiscus drink and handed it to her.

"Yeah, you're amazing, Yugi." Malik beamed at him.

"I'm happy to see you all too, but I need to talk to you about something." Yugi said to them, and Yami's face became concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and Yugi told them the whole story and showed them the picture.

Yami was absolutely furious by the end of it. Malik was shaking. "That's him. That's fucking him." She said, staring hard at his picture.

"Why is Mai with him?" Ryou asked as she looked at it.

Yami stepped out of the room, making a phone call immediately. "What the fuck." Mana said. "This is bullshit. Even if they weren't here for bad reasons, why the fuck would they come here?"

"I'm seriously so uncomfortable right now." Ryou said.

Yugi glanced at Malik, who was extremely pale. Her face was full of conflicting emotions, but she mostly seemed angry. He touched her shoulder and she looked at him. "Thank you, Yugi. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't heard all of that."

"Of course. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." Yugi told her, wrapping his arm more firmly around her shoulders. She leaned against his side and sighed.

"When will the madness stop?" She asked him.

"Hopefully soon. It would be amazing if you never had to be stressed about the people you used to work for being crazy assholes." Yugi said to her.

She hummed in agreement as Yami came back in the room. "Kaiba's got security on it already. He'll update us when they know more." He said as he walked back to his chair.

"Thank you, Yami. I'll have to give security cookies later." Malik said, writing a note to herself on the notepad in front of her.

"I'll help you. I have this great recipe that they love." Mana told her.

"Perfect." Malik said, clapping her hands together once. "Okay. I want to not think about this anymore. Mana?"

"Yes, you're right. Let's give the children what they want." She agreed, and the two of them went into the booth together.

Yami raised an eyebrow and pressed a button to talk to them. "Have you been working on something together?"

Mana smiled sweetly at him. "We've wanted to do this song together for years. We just never had the time to record it together. But now…"

Malik pressed a button on her laptop, and the bass line came in heavily. Mana immediately came in, her voice low and sultry, "Feeling myself, I'm feeling myself, I'm feeling my-"

Malik came in with her verse not long after, and Yugi wondered how long the two of them had been working on this song. They were practically recording it perfectly on their first take. When they finished, they both looked at Yami expectantly. He was gaping at them.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked them, and their faces immediately dropped.

"You didn't like it?" Mana asked, sounding completely shocked.

"Why the fuck didn't you two tell me you just had that lying around?" He asked them. Neither of the girls answered him. "Seriously, if I'd known you two had come up with that, we would have recorded it ages ago. That was awesome!" He said, enthusiasm finally showing through the shock in his tone.

"It's good?" Mana asked.

"Good? What was it you said in the bridge that one time? 'Male or female, it makes no difference, I stop the world?' That's correct. People are going to flip out when they hear this. Did you produce all of that track?" He asked Malik, who nodded. "Brilliant. Fucking amazing. I literally want to tell everyone I can about what a genius you are."

"I mean, nothing's actually stopping you from doing that. Least of all me." Malik grinned at him.

Yami pulled out his phone and opened Snapchat. "Come here." He said, and Malik exited the booth to sit on the arm of his chair. He started making a video. "This girl is a fucking genius. Absolutely brilliant. My mind is totally blown. Like...AHHHHHHHHH!" He shouted at the end of it, and Malik burst out laughing. "Good. Now the world knows." Yami said, setting his phone down.

Everyone in the room was laughing and giddy. It was a great change from how they'd been feeling before they'd started recording. They discussed releasing it with a music video, which Mana and Malik both seemed to want to do immediately. "I haven't been this excited about my music in a while. This is so awesome." Malik said happily, before her stomach rumbles loudly. "Oh, wow, okay. I guess it's time for lunch." She laughed.

"I'm pretty hungry too. Let's go grab some food." Ryou suggested, and their little troop set out for the elevator.

As they stepped out into the hallway, Yugi immediately sensed something was wrong, and spotted Mai and Valon arguing with a security guard at the end of the hallway. He looked at Malik, who had stopped walking and was staring hard at the pair down the hall. Before anyone else realized what was happening, Malik took off towards them and hurled her phone at Valon's face. Yugi took off after her.

"What the fuck are you doing here you prick?" Malik's voice was shaking, but she sounded completely pissed off, and she looked positively feral.

"Oh, hey, baby, how's it going?" He grinned at her sleazily.

Malik let out a sound of rage before tackling him to the ground. He let out a high pitched shriek as they fell and she started hitting him wherever she could reach. Mai grabbed her by the hair to try and pull her off, but Malik immediately backhanded her in the face, her ring leaving a scratch. Mai pulled away from her immediately, saying, "Fuck this," before getting in the elevator and leaving.

Malik let him have it for another thirty seconds or so before Yami grabbed one of her wrists. "Malik…" He said her name quietly, and she stopped beating Valon, breathing heavily.

"Get the fuck out of my sight." Malik growled at him darkly, and the whimpering man moved as quickly as he could toward the elevator.

The elevator dinged, and opened to reveal Bakura, who looked completely calm until he realized Valon was standing before him. His eyes narrowed. "You," Bakura said through his teeth.

Valon swallowed, looking nervous. "Hi, Bakura." He said, sounding terrified.

"You know, I used to like you. You were one of the only assholes from Sennen Records that didn't hit on Ryou like she was a piece of meat, so I assumed you knew how to respect people. Then you went ahead and treated that beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman like she was an expendable piece of ass. You aren't even worthy to lick the bottom of her feet." He said darkly to the man before punching him in the face. Valon landed heavily on the floor, knocked out.

"Are you fucking kidding me? He was just leaving. We're going to have to carry him out now." Yami groaned.

"That fucking asshole deserved it." Bakura said. "'You know what to do.' Who the fuck says that to a woman like Malik Ishtar? You don't treat a person that perfect like that. Seriously, if you're fortunate enough for her to be with you then you-" he stopped ranting as he finally realized Malik was standing right there.

She had an unreadable expression on her face as she looked at him. He blushed furiously before turning and taking off down the stairs.

"Holy shit." Mana said after a moment.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Ryou said from beside her, sounding shaken. She touched Malik's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh. Yeah." Malik said, clearly distracted.

Ryou took off after her cousin, while everyone else stood around Valon's unconscious body. "I'm going to dump some water on his face." Yugi said.

"That's a good idea. You two should go upstairs. We'll follow you in a minute." Yami said to them.

"Okay. Be careful." Mana said to him as she and Malik stepped into the elevator. Both girls looked rather shaken, and Yugi saw Mana take Malik's hand as the doors closed.

Yugi and Yami looked at each other for a moment. "We'll carry him downstairs. Will you meant us with water?" Yami asked him, indicating that the security guard would help him.

Yugi nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I have some."

Yami touched his arm and said thank you before they lifted Valon and stepped on to the elevator. Yugi ran into the recording studio, grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge inside it and following after Yami.

He met them in the lobby, pouring the water over Valon's face with no regard for where it got on him. Valon spluttered awake, and Yami lead Yugi away by the hand at that time. "They've got it from here." He said. They kept holding hands as they walked to the elevator, and Yami held his hand tightly so he wouldn't let go.

As they stood together on the elevator, Yugi felt the euphoria he'd experienced that morning returning. "Hi." Yugi said to Yami as they looked at each other.

Yami laughed, "Hello, Yugi." Yugi felt his heart soar at the sound of Yami saying his name.

"Thank you for helping me with that." Yami said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Of course." Yugi smiled at him. He didn't know why Yami made him feel so safe and happy just by existing near him, but he honestly didn't care.

"I want to take you to dinner tonight." Yami said to him suddenly.

"Really?" Yugi asked, excitement flooding him. Yami nodded at him. "I'd love that."

"Excellent." Yami smiled at him, bending down to peck him on the lips. Yugi immediately wove his fingers into his hair so he couldn't pull away. They kissed for a long moment, parting when the elevator dinged.

Yugi was so happy he wanted to dance. It felt like his life was moving so fast, but this was the first time he didn't want to slow down. He walked with Yami, still holding hands, over to their friends, feeling truly happy and like he belonged. He wasn't sure what life had in store, or even the rest of today, but he would gladly face it with Yami and his friends.

 **"Feeling Myself" is by Nicki Minaj feat. Beyoncé. More to come soon!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you to Bluefire123, xSinfulPharaohx, and Myfanfics for your reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Warning for drug use and a lot of fluff.**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

When Yugi and Yami arrived on the 60th floor, neither of them were sure what they were walking in to. Yugi certainly hadn't expected Malik to be standing on a chair in the middle of the room, unscrewing something from the ceiling fan.

"Hey, Malik...whatcha doin'?" Yami asked her casually, swinging his and Yugi's hands between them.

"Making a bong. I am so stressed out right now." She said, holding out a small gold socket piece she'd taken.

"Ahhhhh, I see. Don't let me stop you." Yami said, tugging Yugi's arm so his arm was around his waist and wrapping his own arm around his shoulders.

Malik stared at them for a moment before smiling. "When did this happen?" She pointed between the two of them.

"Last night. You're the first to know. Well, second. Maybe." Yami said, and Yugi looked at him. "I told Mana when I got upstairs. I was maybe a bit excited."

Yugi blushed and grinned at him, happiness bubbling in his chest. "I am, too." Yami kissed his forehead.

"Oh, stop that. That's too cute. My teeth are fake and I'm still getting a cavity from that." Malik said to them. "The amount you two already care about each other is way too adorable."

"It seems that someone cares a lot about you too...a _perfect_ amount." Yami said, his tone light and teasing.

Malik blushed immediately and took off for the kitchen. "I lied. You're an ass." She called over her shoulder, and the two boys followed after her, laughing merrily.

The three of them gathered together at the bar. Yugi watched Malik make a contraption to smoke out of. He himself didn't know anything about marijuana, so he had no idea what she was doing. "How did you learn how to do this?" Yugi asked her.

"When Mana and Yami started helping me navigate life above ground, the first thing they did was take me to the doctor and a therapist. The doctor talked about putting me on a bunch of different medications, but because I grew up with virtually no medicine, whenever I take any it reacts strongly in my system. Which is great, because the time I got bronchitis a couple years ago I was better within two days. The anti depressants though...most of them either made it worse or made me so sluggish and groggy that I didn't have the motivation to do anything. After a while, they suggested this because it's easier to take as needed. And that's the story of why I smoke. The end." She said, like she'd just told him a fairy tale.

"That makes sense." Yugi said, "I didn't really know what it does. I sort of know nothing about it."

"If you're ever curious enough to want to try it, you're in the right place. You're sitting next to the best person to take care of you if anything happens." She said as she pulled out a bottle cap and a lighter, setting them next to an empty two liter of Coca Cola that said, "Share a Coke with your #Team" and a metal trash can filled with water and ice. It had a large, glow in the dark biohazard sticker on it.

"What do you mean, 'if anything happens?'" He asked her.

"Most people find it relaxing, but it can make you really paranoid too. I wouldn't recommend what I'm about to do for your first time, but I need to calm the fuck down. I feel like I could freak out again at any moment." She picked up the piece she'd taken from the ceiling fan, sliding it on to a pair of scissors and using the lighter to heat up one side of it.

"I'm so sorry, Malik." Yugi said to her. He felt bad that these things kept happening to her.

She shrugged. "At least I got a few good punches in. I'm truly trying to lead a better, less violent life, but I really couldn't hold back. That fucking prick. 'Hey baby.' Who the fuck talks like that?" She scoffed angrily.

"You know who doesn't talk like that? Bakura." Yami leaned his head into his hand and smiled innocently at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him as she packed the cap and smoked it, blowing out several smoke rings. "I don't know how to feel about that." She sighed.

"Talk to us. Why are you nervous about?" Yami asked, taking the cap and using it himself.

She ran a hand through her hair and thought about what to say. "I just...he gets me, you know? I started talking to him the other night to distract him from Ryou and Marik, but we actually...connected. He likes all the same things I do, he has just as much shit to work through, and he...he likes me. I mean, you heard what he said earlier. He listens to me when I talk, he thinks I'm intelligent, and he looks at me like...honestly, it scares the crap out of me." She finished.

"Why?" Yami asked her, crossing his legs and holding Yugi's hand on the bar. Yugi's stomach flipped, and he squeezed Yami's hand.

"Because taking a chance on anyone is terrifying. If I go out with him, I leave myself completely vulnerable. Being so exposed...I already feel uncomfortable being in the limelight all the time, and I worked extremely hard to keep my private life private, and that blew up in my face a week ago. If I open up to him and it turns out he doesn't care…" She seemed so conflicted.

"Mal…" Yami said to her, and his tone sounded sad.

Yugi looked between the two of them, thinking for a moment before speaking. "You have every right to be worried and nervous." He said, and both of them looked at him. "Being with someone is always scary. You put your time and energy into getting to know someone, and you don't know that it's actually going to work out. Even if you manage to be together for years, it takes time and energy and effort. Caring about someone is hard, but...it's worth it. Especially when they're worth it." He looked at Yami.

"How are you so smart?" Malik asked him.

"I've just been thinking about the same things recently." He replied, still looking at Yami.

"I'm glad you came to the conclusion you did." Yami said, smiling happily at Yugi.

"You two can't be this cute and domestic already, it hasn't even been a day yet." Malik deadpanned at them.

"Sorry." Yugi grinned sheepishly at her.

"That's too bad, because I'm not." Yami dragged Yugi's stool closer to him so it was easier to kiss him.

Cheering broke out from across the room, and they pulled apart to see Mana, Ryou, and Marik whooping and cheering for them. "When did this happen?! This is so awesome!" Ryou said excitedly as she made her way over to him.

"Around the same time things happened for you two." Yami grinned at the two of them knowingly.

Ryou flushed immediately. "What? How do you know about that?" She asked as Marik came up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"You might want to find a place to make out that's less public than a stairwell." Yami suggested to them.

"Well, you were going to find out anyway." Ryou sighed, before looking over at Malik. "You should go talk to Bakura. He's pretty embarrassed, but...he really does care about you."

Malik closed her eyes and sighed. "Dammit." She muttered, grabbing the cap and smoking again before walking toward the stairs. "Where is he?"

"The roof." Ryou replied, and Malik pulled the hood of her lilac colored cropped sweatshirt over her head before she disappeared.

"I hope that works out for them." Mana commented.

"You know, we could do more than hope." Marik grinned, a scheming look on his face.

"I know what you're thinking, and that's a horrible idea." Mana warned.

Ryou looked at Marik for a moment before grabbing his hand and making a break for the stairs. "Normally I'd agree, Mana, but if this ends up going badly we'll never know what happened."

Yami grinned at Yugi before taking off after them. Yugi immediately followed him. He wasn't thrilled to be spying on Malik, but if he was there he could drag them off quickly. He heard Mana groan before following them. "This is a terrible idea!" Mana said again.

When they reached the roof, they spotted Bakura sitting on the couch by the fire pit table on the far side of the roof, Malik approaching him slowly, looking awkward. They snuck over to the couch under the canopy with fairy lights and hid. By the time they were hiding behind it, Malik was sitting next to Bakura.

"Hi." She said to him. He didn't even look at her, staring hard into the fire pit.

She waited a minute before speaking again. "Look, I get that you didn't mean what you said earlier. That's fine. But I kind of felt like we were starting to become friends-"

"You think I didn't mean any of that?" He interrupted her.

"You didn't, and that's fine. I just don't want to lose your friendship over-"

"Stop. Stop. Just stop." Bakura sat up and faced her properly. She seemed surprised and on edge. "I'm not embarrassed or pissed off, despite what you're clearly thinking. Well, I am pissed, but at that creep Valon, not you. He managed to hurt you and ruin my plans all at once." Bakura's expression was sour.

"Plans?" Malik asked, confused.

Bakura scratched the top of his head, seeming to decide something. "Everything you heard earlier today? I was planning on saying to you. At some point. Not today. Dammit, I wanted to do this correctly." He rested his head in his hands.

"What are you talking about?" Malik asked him.

"I have feelings for you." He said quickly, like he was tearing off a band aid.

She didn't say anything for a moment. "Akefia, I-"

He go laced a hand on her knee and she stopped. "I know. You need time. I have every intention of respecting that. That's why I was planning on saying those things to you later. I really wanted to woo you properly. I had no idea you were there today, I saw red when I saw Valon. What he did to you…" Bakura swallowed, looking furious, "You're so much better than him. The more I get to know you...you're pretty much the only person I like other than Ryou. Except that when I'm with you, it's like everything else doesn't matter. I forget about my parents and the horrible things that happen in the world, because I just want to try and put that beautiful smile on your face."

Malik wasn't facing them, but Yugi could tell she was blushing by the way she ducked her head at Bakura's compliment. He was looking at her like she was a rare artifact he had just found as he continued, "I know this isn't easy for you. I'm not comfortable with it either. I've never met another human I wanted to be with the way I do with you. I don't make friends with people, and I especially don't waste time dating. When It's you though...I want to try. Especially when I've seen how others have tried in the past and I know for a fact I'd be better than them."

Malik laughed quietly. "You are better than them."

Bakura tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, brushing his fingers along her jaw. He looked in her eyes for a long moment before he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, moving to sit closer to her on the couch and wrap his arm around her shoulders. She seemed to melt into his side, cuddling against him. He tucked her head under his chin and held her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Yugi tugged on Yami's sleeve, and he did the same to the other three before they snuck back downstairs. When they arrived back in the living room, Ryou let out a loud whoop. "That was so cute! They're so good for each other! This makes me so happy - I get Malik as an in-law, this is fantastic!"

"That was seriously so sweet. He's trying so hard to do right by her. I've never seen him try so hard for someone." Mana said.

"Me either. I'm so happy for them both. All of us, actually." Yami said, squeezing Yugi's hand in his own before kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to go get ready for dinner. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"I'll see you then." Yugi tugged his arm to get a proper kiss, before letting him go. He felt excited at the idea of getting to go on a date, turning to ask Ryou help him with an outfit when the elevator dinged again.

"Okay, I've done some pretty uncool shit, but I don't spy on any of you, you fistful of assholes!" Malik snapped as she stepped into the room, Bakura close on her heels. Everyone scattered immediately.

 **Yugi's going on a date next! I'll post more soon.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to Lorelei Jacques, Bluefire123, and Ele15 for your reviews!**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Malik chased them around the suite for several minutes, screaming profanities and the definition of the word, "privacy." Bakura stood by the stairs, occasionally shouting, "Get 'em, Malik!" and, "Show no mercy!"

This went on for several minutes, until Malik and Ryou collided into each other, both landing in a heap on the ground. Bakura started howling with laughter. "You can't buy entertainment this good."

"Are you two okay?" Yugi darted over to where Ryou and Malik were groaning on the floor, helping them both to their feet.

"Yes. Malik broke my fall." Ryou said, flexing her limbs to make sure they worked properly.

"Good for you." Sarcasm dripped from Malik's tone. She rubbed her lower back. "Ow."

"Do you want an ice pack or something?" Yugi asked her, concerned.

"No, it's not that bad." She sighed. Bakura walked over to her and she smiled at him. Yugi noticed for the first time that she was about two inches taller than him, which was kind of adorable.

"I'm going to go grab a drink. Would you like anything?" He asked her.

"No, I'm all set." She said to him, and he squeezed her elbow before walked over to the bar. "Thank you, though!" She called to him as an afterthought.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I dragged them away as soon as I could." He apologized to her, feeling rather embarrassed and nervous. He really hadn't liked snooping on her, and he hoped she wasn't about to fire him.

"It's fine. I'm assuming it wasn't your idea." He nodded. "That's really fucking annoying, but at the same time I'm also glad I don't have to give you a play by play." She said to him.

Yugi glanced at the clock. "I'm supposed to be going to dinner with Yami soon. I should go get ready."

"You're going out with Yami tonight? That's fantastic! Where are you going?" She asked him.

"I have no idea, which makes me a bit nervous. I have no idea what to wear or expect." He told her.

She immediately grabbed his hand headed to the stairs. "Let's go pick out an outfit for you then."

"Where are you going?" Mana called from behind them.

"Yugi has a date!" Malik replied, and Mana and Ryou immediately followed them downstairs. "I don't remember inviting you." Malik said to them, her tone serious, but the smile on her face told Yugi she was joking.

"Too late. We're here now." Mana said.

They arrived in Yugi's apartment, proceeding into his room. Anzu was sitting on the couch watching TV, and she sprang to her feet as soon as she saw them. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Yugi has a date." Mana told her, and Anzu let out a whoop of excitement.

"That's awesome! With Yami?" She asked, and he nodded at her. "That's so amazing. What are you two going to do?"

"I'm not sure, that's why I have a posse." He grinned at her.

"Oh, we're your posse now?" Ryou laughed at his boast.

"Technically, I'm Malik's posse." Yugi said, laughing at Malik's, "Fuck yeah, you are!"

They gathered in his room, piling onto his bed except for Malik, who joined him at his closet. "Since we don't know where you're going, we'll have to pick the most neutral but still date appropriate outfit. This is going to be next to impossible, but we can do it!" She proclaimed optimistically.

"I could ask Yami what he's planning. For all I know, he might actually want my help." Mana said to them.

"You should text him. That would make this significantly easier." Ryou said, and Mana pulled out her phone, tapping quickly on it before setting it back down.

"And now we wait." She said.

Malik pulled a portable speaker out of the bag she'd brought with her and turned on some music. "While we're waiting, we might as well listen to the radio. I haven't been paying attention to the music world at all." She said.

The song that was playing sounded familiar for a reason Yugi couldn't pin point. "What song is this?" He asked.

"Can't Feel My Face. It's Marik's song. Well, one of them." Ryou said to him. Everyone in the room gaped at her.

"Marik...is a musician?" Mana asked, her mind clearly blown from the news.

"He's a singer? I had no idea." Malik was shocked as well.

"I have no idea how you missed that, this song and his second single were both number one on iTunes for a while." Ryou told them.

"I had no idea either. Turn it up!" Anzu said from the bed, she and Mana both rocking to the beat.

The song played through, and by the end of it, Yugi understood why Ryou liked him. Not only did she seem to have fun with him, but he was a great producer, and his voice wasn't bad at all. It was truly just unexpected.

"I had no idea that was him. Is that song about you?" Malik asked Ryou.

"I have no idea." Ryou answered. "It's a great song to dance to though, so I hope so."

"Dancing sounds like so much fun right now. I miss going out." Mana sighed from the bed, and Anzu nodded from behind her.

"I used to go out a lot more. I've just been so busy lately…" She trailed off.

"What if we go out tonight?" Ryou suggested. "I miss being out in public, and that crowd in front of Kaiba Corp. really wants to see Malik."

"There's a crowd in front of Kaiba Corp.? For me?" Malik was confused.

"A bunch of your fans. You really haven't seen this?" Ryou asked her, pulling out her phone to show her pictures. "I didn't take these myself, I found them online." She told her as she handed it to her.

Yugi, Anzu, and Mana crowded around her to see them. Outside of Kaiba Corp., there appeared to be a sea of purple and gold. Some people had signs, others were holding boxes or flowers. Many of them had done their eyeliner in Malik's signature style, and several of them had styled their hair like hers or even made variants of her outfits. The signs all had words of encouragement and support, several had, "We Stand With Malik" written in glitter. Malik's eyes glossed over as they looked through them.

"This is...have they been out there all day? I need to see them. This...they're so beautiful." She sniffed, scrolling through more.

"We can do that. Yami just texted me back, so let's get Yugi ready for his date and then we can go." Mana said, clapping her hands together and going to his closet. She pulled out a black button down, a red tank top, the leather pants, and a belt. "Let's go back upstairs. We'll all get ready together. You should come too, Anzu."

"Really?" All three girls insisted. "Okay, let me grab a better outfit." She darted to her room.

Ryou clapped excitedly. "I miss going out. This is going to be so great!"

"I'm going to text Joey to get him to come with us. Bakura's going to end up inviting himself too." Mana said as she typed on her phone.

Ryou groaned. "I hadn't even thought about that. Dammit."

"It's okay, I think he'll be very distracted while you're there." Yugi grinned and made eye contact with Malik, who flipped him off.

Anzu returned, and they made their way up to Mana's room. Yugi changed in her bathroom (which was HUGE and impeccably clean), while the girls changed. When he returned, Mana was in a tight dress covered in the Queen of Hearts card pattern. Malik was wearing a lilac colored crop top and matching skirt with a gold chain belt slung on her hips, her gold jewelry clinking lightly. Anzu was in a dark blue sequined dress and hot pink heels, and she was picking out jewelry to match her outfit. "You all look stunning." He told them, and they all thanked him. "Where'd Ryou go?" He asked.

"She's still getting dressed. She's the one of us that doesn't just go out in public." Mana explained.

Malik studied him for a moment before she handed him a necklace with a beetle on it, the wings made of deep purple stones. "It matches your eyes." She said to him, and he put it on.

All three girls did their makeup, Malik finishing hers first and helping the other two. She'd pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, leaving her bangs hanging in her face. She tied Mana's back into a bun, held in place with a gold clip. She played with Anzu's hair for a moment like she was going to put it up, but she kept running her fingers through it. "Your hair is so pretty." Malik said to her, and Anzu tried to sputter out a protest, but it died in her throat as Malik kept playing with her hair. Yugi grinned at the sight. Anzu had said multiple times that she thought Malik was gorgeous, so the compliment definitely meant more to her than Malik realized.

Moments later, Ryou returned, and Yugi gasped. She was wearing fishnets and a nude colored leotard that was covered in bubbles. She'd hidden her real hair under a white wig that didn't quite reach her shoulders, and her makeup made her even more beautiful. "Is everyone else ready?" She asked as they gaped at her. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked, going to the mirror to check.

No one spoke for a moment, then Yugi said, "You look amazing."

She grinned at him broadly. "Thank you. I've been wanting to wear this for ages. Shall we go?" She asked, and they did.

Yugi remained in the lobby as the four girls, as well as Joey, Bakura, and Marik made their way out of Kaiba Corp. He heard the crowd go silent when Malik stepped out, before breaking into hysteric screams. He watched as she held a finger to her lips, and they fell silent again instantly before she started talking.

"I have no idea how she does that." A voice said from behind him, and he felt warm at the sound as he turned to see Yami approaching him. He was wearing a red button down shirt with black leather pants, chuckling as he noticed what Yugi was wearing. "We match. I see Mana helped you get ready." He said, and Yugi nodded at him.

"Hello, by the way." Yugi grinned.

"Hello." Yami said to him. "Shall we get going?"

Yugi hadn't had any idea where Yami was taking him, and he was surprised when they arrived at the Museum of Modern Art. "I'm assuming you haven't been here before. It's amazing. Especially after hours." Yami told him, and Yugi froze.

"After hours? Are we actually allowed in?" He questioned, suddenly more worried about being arrested than saying something stupid.

Yami grinned mischievously at him, "Have you ever broken into a museum before?" Yugi's eyes bugged out of his head and his jaw dropped - he couldn't be serious, could he? "Isis used to work here and still has connections. We're totally allowed to be here. They're expecting us." He chuckled as Yugi sighed.

"Don't scare me like that, I was just imagining what prison would be like." He said, and Yami let out a bark of laughter.

"I wouldn't make you do anything illegal, I'm not Bakura. C'mon, let's go inside." Yami lead him inside by his hand, which he seemed to refuse to release, not that Yugi was complaining.

They waved to the security guards, who approached them, each holding something. "Hello, Mr. Yami, sir." The one in the middle said. Yami returned his greeting. "Would you mind signing these for us? We listen to your music after hours all the time."

"Of course. What's your name?" Yami said, releasing Yugi's hand to sign them. He repeated this for all three of them, shaking hands with two of them, the third asked for a hug, and he complied. "Sorry. I just think you're the man." He said, and Yami laughed.

"Don't be sorry, I'm grateful to you all. I had pizza ordered for you all, I think it should be here soon, as a thank you for letting us come here after hours. I really appreciate it." Yami said to him.

"Really? You didn't have to do that, Yami. Anytime you need anything, we've got your back. Tell Mana we love her." They said, before heading off. Yami chuckled before he reclaimed Yugi's hand and lead him into a room full of paintings.

"That was nice of you." Yugi commented, and Yami squeezed his hand.

"I wanted to make sure they knew how much I appreciated them letting us come here. They seriously didn't need to do this, I could have taken you anywhere, but...I really thought you'd like this." He explained.

"I do. Thank you. They asked you to sign an album - do you have one I don't know about or something?" Yugi asked him, and he laughed again.

"There's a compilation album of songs I produced that didn't make it on to other people's albums, and it includes all of my features. So yes, if you didn't know about it." He explained. Yugi frowned.

"I didn't realize that. I feel kind of bad." He said. He knew he needed to read up on them after he started working for Malik, he just hadn't had the time to do it yet.

"Don't. I like that you don't know everything about me. I don't know everything about you, so we're even. Don't get me wrong, though: I want to know everything there is to know about you." He said to him with a wink.

Yugi laughed. "We'll see about that. Most of it's probably pretty boring."

"Not at all. For one, you're from Japan and I'm from America. That gives us years of interesting conversation." He pointed out.

"I hadn't thought of it like that." Yugi said, thoughtfully. It made him feel a little better, realizing that they really did have plenty to talk about if things ended up getting awkward.

"Come with me in here. This is Malik's favorite room." He led Yugi into a room, and he gasped.

The walls were covered in hieroglyphics and Egyptian art, and in the middle was a large temple like structure. "That's the Temple of Dendur. It was given to the US in 1965, and installed here in 1978." He went on to explain more to Yugi about it, pointing out Osiris, Isis, and Horus, as well as Caesar depicted like a pharaoh. "This particular piece was made while he was ruling Egypt." They walked inside of it and looked around. Yugi was gaping at it - he hadn't expected to walk into an Egyptian temple today.

"This is amazing." He told Yami, who beamed at him.

"I'm glad you like it. C'mon." He led Yugi into another room. They continued walking through the museum, appreciating the art on display. They found one painting that was solidly painted red, which they stared at for a particularly long time.

"I feel like this is one of those ones that people get into fights about if it's art or not." Yugi said, and Yami nodded.

"One time I came here to talk to Isis and there was a group arguing about it. It was wild." Yami told him, and Yugi giggled.

They spent two hours wandering around the museum, which Yugi found amazing. He'd been to many museums before, but never when they were empty. It turned out that they had similar taste in art, and they liked a lot of the same colors, particularly blue in any shade.

When they had circled fully through the building, they waved goodbye to the security guards before walking out the door back onto West 53rd. "Have you been to Times Square yet?" Yami asked him.

"I drove through it, but I haven't actually been there yet." Yugi said, and Yami checked his watch.

"It's 10:30, so the night is still young. Let's go." Yami led him by the hand down the road.

"What kind of movies do you like?" Yugi asked him, already planning a second date in his mind. Yami was even better company than he could have imagined, and Yugi was willing to follow him wherever he wanted to take him, but he also wanted to take the initiative the next time.

"This is pretty lame, but...I like documentaries a lot." Yami said to him, and Yugi noticed he seemed nervous to admit this.

"That's not lame. That's awesome, actually. Do you like ones about history or animals? Or are there other kinds you like more?" Yugi asked, sincerely interested.

"Really? You don't think it's totally weird and boring?" Yami sounded surprised.

"Not at all. I used to watch history shows while I was working at my grandpa's shop, because they were educational and customers were never bothered they were on." Yugi explained.

Yami looked at him as they walked for a moment before responding. "That's...really awesome, actually. Most people definitely think they sound terrible. I like watching ones about different places around the world, or people from history. I like ones about animals too though. There's this one about this guy who had these two honey badgers…" He explained the documentary to Yugi, who by the end of his explanation just wanted to watch it. Yami laughed when he told him as much.

They were about to round the corner into Times Square when Yami stopped him. "We're about to arrive there. Are you ready? I'm going to warn you it's a bit overwhelming the first time you see it."

"I'm ready." Yugi said to him, and when Yami led him around the corner, he gasped loudly.

He was so familiar with Tokyo, and he'd seen Times Square in passing, so he thought he wouldn't be amazed by it, but it was still shocking to look at. It was almost eleven at night, but the area was bustling like it was the middle of the day. Every screen was lit up with different ads - he spotted the one Ryou was on almost instantly, before noticing the ones for Broadway shows and stores.

"What do you think?" Yami asked him, and Yugi gaped at him.

"This is crazy. There's so many people!" He said.

"They don't call it, 'The City that Never Sleeps' for nothing." Yami said, leading him into the plaza.

They walked around, looking at the stores and occasionally going into them to look around. There were several clothing stores, but most sold trinkets and tourist items. There was a random set of stairs in the center area that led nowhere that Yugi found confusing, but everyone else was taking pictures on them, so he assumed it was a photo op spot. Yugi was shocked when he realized another hour had passed. "Are you hungry?" Yami asked him, and he nodded. "I was thinking of getting something that's traditional in New York, but I don't want you to get offended."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at him. "How is food offensive?"

"Well, not so much the food, but where we get it." Yami said, leading him over to a food cart. He ordered them both hot dogs, French fries, and bottles of soda. "Is this okay?" Yami was biting his lip, looking nervous.

"Yes. Anzu told me I had to do this at some point, so I'm glad I get to try it with you." Yugi said.

Yami smiled at him, and they found a table for two to eat their meal at in the middle of the plaza. "This is surprisingly good." Yugi said as he ate his hot dog.

"I know, right? These are my guilty pleasure." Yami said before he took another bite.

They people watched as they ate, pointing out people they thought were pretty or wearing outrageous outfits. They occasionally discussed what they thought their lives were like, Yugi laughing particularly loudly when Yami pointed out a man in a striped shirt and polka dot pants and said, "Future class president and valedictorian of Clown school."

After they finished eating, Yami and Yugi made their way back to Kaiba Corp., hand in hand. When they arrived back, Yami looked at him. "I'm honestly not tired. Do you want to hang out on the roof for a while?"

"Sure. I love it up there." Yugi said, and they took the elevator to the roof.

"I think there are cards around here somewhere… Ah ha!" Yami said, pulling out a standard deck of cards. "I hear you like games, and I happen to be our current Gin Rummy champion." He said as he sat beside Yugi and started shuffling.

"Really, now? We'll have to see if I can break your streak." Yugi said to him.

They played several rounds of the game, Yugi giggling every time he managed to beat Yami, who would immediately start shuffling them again. They kept at it for a few hours, until Yugi realized Yami had fallen asleep mid round. He himself found his eyelids were heavy, and he fell asleep under the canopy on the roof, just as the sun started to rise.

 **"Can't Feel My Face" is by The Weeknd. I'll post more soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's the next chapter! Warning for discussion of an almost sexual assault.**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi woke up, unaware of exactly where he was for a moment. He realized after looking around and spotting Yami on the couch beside him and the scattered cards that they'd both fallen asleep mid-game on the roof. He realized it had to be the middle of the day, because the sun was all the way up. He pulled out his phone and checked the time, his eyes bugging when he realized it was eleven.

"Yami. Hey, Yami." He shook his shoulder. He had deja vu of waking Anzu up this way very recently.

"Mhmm?" Yami didn't open his eyes, just hummed.

"Yami. Wake up." He shook his shoulder a little harder.

Yami opened his eyes slowly, his eyes finding Yugi and a smile spreading across his face adorably. "Hey, handsome." He said to Yugi groggily.

"Hi. It's eleven in the morning." Yugi told him, and he sat up immediately.

"What?!" He sat up immediately, . "Did we fall asleep up here?"

"Yes. At least we're under the canopy, because I'd be very sunburnt right now." Yugi said, glancing out from under it at the hot sun.

"That's very true. C'mon. If we sneak downstairs now, Mana will be the only one who sees us." Yami said to him, standing and stretching before offering his hand.

Yugi took it and followed him downstairs. Yami was completely correct, and Mana was the only one who was awake. "Hello boys." She said, grinning at them both, before her expression became more confused. "Did you fall asleep up on the roof or something? I had no idea you guys are up there. I would have made you guys come downstairs."

"That's all right. We were under the canopy so we were protected from sun and rain." Yami said to her.

"How was the club last night?" Yugi asked her.

Her expression changed from bright and happy to a deadpan stare. "Fucking. Insane." She told them.

"Really? Why? What happened?" Yami asked her, sounding concerned.

She sighed. "It was actually really amazing. We had a great time. It was literally right before last call that it happened. Basically, the short version is that Malik is terrifying and Ryou is a goddess."

"Wait. What? I mean I know both of those things, but what?" Yami said, confused.

"I think they need to tell this story. Go get ready for the day, I think Malik will be back from working out soon, and Ryou said she'd meet me for lunch." Mana grinned at them.

"Thats a good plan." Yugi said, turning to go back to his room.

"Wait!" Yami said, and when Yugi turned to him, he looked like he was deciding something before he said, "Actually...never mind."

Yugi raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Go get ready for the day." Yami told him.

Yugi waved at them both in goodbye and left, making his way down the stairs to his apartment. He spotted Anzu on the couch with a cup of tea, looking pretty hungover. "Hey." He greeted her.

"Hey! Are you just getting in from last night?" She asked him.

"Yeah. We fell asleep on the roof while playing Rummy." He said.

"Is that what you did for your date?" She asked him, scrunching up her nose.

"No! He took me to the Museum of Modern Art, Times Square, and we went to a bunch of different stores. Then we went to the roof to play Rummy." He explained to her.

"Oh. I just wasn't putting it past you to play cards all evening and call it a date." She said to him, and he stuck his tongue out at her in response.

"How was the club?" He asked, and Anzu gave him a look.

"It was fun. The end of the night was wild, but it was fun." She said to him.

"That's pretty much what Mana told us, but she said she was going to get Ryou and Malik to tell us the rest." He said.

"Oh, I won't ruin it for you. It's a good one." She took a large sip of tea.

"Well I'm going to go shower so I can hear it. I'm glad you had fun though." He told her before finally getting ready.

When he was finally dressed again, it was almost noon. He picked up his phone from where it was on the charger, noticing he had a text from Mana: **Can you go tell Malik to get off the stair climber and get her ass up here?** He chuckled before taking off, telling Anzu he'd talk to her later.

He found Malik exactly where Mana said he would, her ponytail swinging as she ran, Osiris asleep in a corner. She was singing along to the song playing throughout the room. He didn't know what song it was, but he watched her for a moment, laughing to himself and shaking his head before walking over to her. "Mana told me to tell you to, 'get your ass upstairs.'" He used air quotes as he said it.

She laughed. "I need two minutes to get through the cool down cycle and then I'll go with you. I don't want to cramp up later because I didn't do this."

He looked at the machine and his jaw dropped. "You've been on this thing for over two hours."

"Yeah, I kind of get on it and go until I feel like stopping. I actually get a lot done while I'm on here, which encourages me to stay longer."

He still hasn't closed his mouth. "Is that...healthy?" He asked faintly.

"If you do it correctly. Notice that I can still hold a conversation with you and I'm not gasping for breath to do it." She pointed out, which did make him feel a bit better.

"Just...be careful. I don't want you to get hurt." He said to her.

"I won't. Thank you for caring." They smiled at each other before she gasped in realization. "You had a date last night! How was it?"

He ran through his evening quickly, stopping only when she asked him if he saw the temple. When he told her they fell asleep playing Rummy, she laughed loudly. "That's adorable." She said before the machine she was on beeped to tell her she's finished her workout. "Did you have fun?" She asked, stepping down onto the floor, wobbling slightly. "I have sea legs right now."

"Take a moment. I had a good time. I really like hanging out with Yami. I liked getting to see some of the city with him, and it's nice to have someone I can play games with, too. He almost beat me at Rummy, too."

"Almost? So you won?" She asked him, following him out of the gym and holding the door so Osiris could follow.

"A few times. We didn't finish our last round." He told her.

"Yami never loses. Good for you, Yugi." She congratulated him as they stepped on the elevator.

"He never loses?" Yugi asked, choosing not to mention that he never lost either.

"No. It's so annoying." She rolled her eyes.

"It's about time you got here!" Mana yelled as the elevator opened to reveal them.

"How does that saying go? 'A queen is never late, everyone else is simply early.'" Malik quoted to her.

Mana stared at her. "Queen of what? Gold jewelry? Yoga pants? Stair climbers?"

Malik chuckled icily. "Foolish Mana," she pat the top of Mana's head, "As if you don't already know I'm the Queen of Rap."

"It's hard to forget, you bring it up all the time. OW!" Mana yelled when Malik flicked her ear.

"Oh please that didn't even sort of hurt." Malik scoffed.

"Fuck you. I wasn't expecting it is all." Mana stuck her tongue out at her.

"Oh good, you're finally here." Ryou appeared with Yami from down the hall. "Yami's dying to hear what happened last night."

"You keep telling me it's the best story! I want to hear it! Hi, Yugi." He smiled at Yugi warmly, and he returned it.

"You two are adorable." Ryou said. "You should start this story, Malik. You're the one who saw the douchebag."

Yami and Yugi both shot them confused looks before Malik began. "We were having a great night, we were dancing-"

"Where did you guys end up going?" Yami interjected.

"Therapy on 52nd. Anyway, we're all having a great time, when I happen to notice this guy slipping something into another guy's drink. I kept my eye on them for a little bit, and I saw him get dragged off out a side door, so I followed them."

"By followed, she means chased down like a bat from hell," Ryou took over, "Which I couldn't help but notice, so I followed her. I heard her screaming, 'Hey you motherfucker!' Before she took off and I noticed the poor boy passed out and realized what must have happened. I started trying to wake him up while calling the police, when Malik just lead that disgusting man back to wait for them to get there. How did you do that, by the way? You weren't even touching him."

Malik grinned, and the look on her face made Yugi's blood run cold. Well that's terrifying. "Oh, I just knocked him down when I caught up to him, spoke to him, and then he followed me."

"What the hell did you say to him?" Yami asked.

"Yeah, you never did explain why he just followed you back." Mana said, and everyone looked at Malik, who simply said:

"You can either come quietly back with me and turn yourself in like the disgusting, worthless slug that you are, or I can slowly harvest all your organs, starting with your eyes and then your skin. Trust me, it's not my first time at that rodeo." She said all this like she was trying to relay it to them casually, except there was no way to say any of that casually.

The room was silent as everyone just stared at her, processing that statement. "Yeah, you're fucking terrifying." Ryou said, "Anyway, I ended up talking to the police for the poor boy, and Malik got to that son of a bitch to turn himself in."

"Damn. You guys had an eventful evening to say the least then, being heroes and everything." Yami said.

"Yeah, it was actually kind of flawless up until that point. It's pretty well documented too, just not by us." Ryou explained vaguely.

"Wait what do you...is it all over the Internet or something?" Mana asked, sounding surprised.

"From the time we stepped outside almost until we got back here." Ryou nodded.

Mana's eyes brightened suddenly. "Does that mean there's videos of us doing karaoke and performing and everything?"

"You guys performed?" Yugi asked, and Yami raised an eyebrow at them.

"It was fucking amazing. Mana did Blow exactly like the video and it was amazing. And Ryou did a new song and it changed my whole life." Malik sighed happily as she seemed to remember it. "It was perfect."

"New song?" Yami asked, his eyebrows somehow rising higher.

"Yeah, well I ended up being...inspired recently. There's videos though, hang on…" Ryou opened the laptop on the counter and typed quickly before taking it over to where the TV was and connecting it. "I want us all to be able to see it." She explained.

The first video was Mana singing Blow, wearing a pair of roller skates. "Where the fuck did you find those at a club?" Yami asked, and Mana laughed.

"They happened to have some in my size. The drag queen who looked like Malik gave them to me." She explained.

"She was a perfect human. Absolutely flawless." Malik pulled out her phone and showed them her background. It was a picture of her and a drag queen who could have been her twin. The difference between them was that Malik had a truly hypnotic quality that her lookalike didn't. Yugi told her as much and she laughed.

"Yeah, she kept saying she couldn't stand right next to me because it, 'ruined the illusion.'" Malik said.

"That's actually really funny." Yami said to her.

"I know. She kept me laughing all night long. I got her number and everything. I should text her." Malik held her camera at an upward angle and then scrunched her face up into the ugliest expression she could before taking it. "Perfect." She said before she sent it.

"I can't handle you at all. You're ridiculous, and I don't mean that as an insult." Mana laughed at her.

"Well I have to be to fit in around here. Y'all are the most ridiculous people I've ever met." Malik countered, grinning widely.

"What's this new song Ryou performed though? I need to see this." Yami said impatiently, and Yugi giggled. The fact that Yami was so invested in his friends music was adorable to him. Not only did he really love producing for them, but he really seemed to like hearing anything they made, no matter if it was serious or silly. He cared about what their work and what they had to say.

"Here it is!" Ryou proclaimed upon finding it. In the video, she was wearing a simple black v-neck dress that ended mid thigh, which she hadn't been wearing when she had left. She also wasn't wearing the wig she had been wearing, because the one in the video was long and sleek.

The Ryou in the video announced that she was going to be performing a new song, and a heavy bass line before she launched into a song that had the entire audience of the club screaming her name. Yugi felt similarly to them, though he was keeping it all inside: when your favorite musician sings a new song, you can't help that bubbling excitement from within. At least that's how Yugi felt about it.

"What is this song called?" Yami asked her.

"Girl Under You, or G.U.Y. for short." She explained quickly.

"This is awesome. The audience is freaking out." Yugi said, and he wasn't exaggerating. They were screaming loudly as she sang and danced, especially when she got to lyrics that were particularly provocative.

"How did you even perform this without your cousin dragging you off the stage and screaming at everyone not to look at you?" Yami asked her. Upon his question, Malik flushed red immediately and Ryou grinned widely.

"Oh, he barely paid attention to me all night, which was amazing. His attention was, ah, otherwise focused." Ryou was smiling in an almost unsettling way.

"Oh yeah, he definitely couldn't peel his eyes away from Malik. I've never seen him show such interest in a person before, but he paid attention to Malik all night long." Mana confirmed.

"Oh please, it wasn't all night." Malik flushed, but underneath her embarrassment she almost seemed proud.

"No, he was definitely all over you the entire time. I remember you two dancing. He doesn't do that with just anyone." Ryou said, almost too casually.

Malik rolled her eyes. "Girl, just because you want to be in laws so badly…"

"Honestly, I'm just happy that he's going to have to work hard to get you. I was always worried he would just end up with the first person who wasn't terrified of him, but if it's you, I have nothing to be worried about. He clearly adores you." Ryou responded calmly.

Malik looked down at the floor, "We're taking it really, really slowly. I do like him, Ryou, but I don't want to ruin everything I have by doing this incorrectly. He's…" She trailed off, her eyes not focusing, "he's… honestly, he's wonderful to me. I just don't know him well enough yet, and I know he doesn't know enough about me. I don't want to lose his friendship by rushing into this. I can be a lot to handle sometimes, and he has problems too. As much as I worry about him hurting me, I honestly am more worried about hurting him."

They all stared at her. "I had no idea you liked him that much, Malik. That's honestly amazing. I hope he realizes how much you care." Yami said to her, Yugi and Mana nodding in agreeance.

Mana opened her mouth to say more, but her phone started ringing loudly. She pulled it out and stared at it for a long moment. "Who is it?" Yami asked her, sounding concerned.

"Mahad. Kaiba sent him with Isis and Rishid to find his family…" She trailed off before finally answering it, turning to leave the room. "Hi, Mahad. How are you?" They heard her ask before she disappeared into her room.

"I'd wondered where your siblings had run off to. That explains it then." Ryou said to Malik, who nodded.

"I thought it was a good idea. Isis is great at talking to people about fucked up situations." She said, picking up the remote to the TV and putting on the news.

"...wild night for some of our favorite celebs. Ryou, Mana, and Malik were spotted dancing at Therapy in Manhattan last night. Patrons from inside the club have told us that the girls handled what could have become a sexual assault case on their own, assisting a man, whose name we can't disclose, and ensuring his attacker was turned into the authorities."

"This is seriously on the news right now?" Ryou asked, seeming skeptical.

"Someone who was there must have said something to them. It certainly wasn't any of us." Mana commented as she walked back into the room, glancing around to confirm this.

"How's Mahad?" Yami asked her.

"They found his parents in Arizona. He's going to go knock on their door soon. He just wanted some words of encouragement." Mana explained as she sat down. "Anything else on the news?"

"No. I was hoping to hear something that wasn't about us, but apparently nothing else is happening. Whatever." Malik scoffed, muting the TV and standing to stretch. "Well, I'm going to go shower. Are you making lunch?" She asked Yami, who was moving about the kitchen making something that smelled good.

"Stir fry and rice. Something easy." He told her. "I'm making enough for everyone, don't worry."

"Save me a plate. I'll be back soon." She said, walking towards her room with Osiris on her heels.

"Why hasn't she moved into her own suite yet? Isn't there one right across the hall from me?" Ryou asked the room.

"She insists she doesn't need her own. I think Isis and Rishid are going to end up in there when they get back though." Mana explained.

"It's a great idea. The three of them spend too much time apart for people who used to only have each other." Yami said as he stirred the pan on the stove.

Yugi walked over by him, watching him cook. "That smells delicious." He told him.

Yami smiled at him, "Thank you. I'm glad you think so."

"Have you always been good at cooking?" He leaned against the counter as he spoke to Yami.

Yami laughed loudly, "I don't know about 'good,' I'd say I'm just pretty decent. I can make about ten different things, but sometimes I manage to screw even those up."

"Really? How badly?" Yugi was grinning at him now.

"One time, Mana and Malik came back from a shopping trip and this whole suite was filled with thick black smoke. I was trying to make cornbread." Yugi let out a loud bark of laughter. "I'm definitely more of a cook than a baker. Ryou makes the best damn cookies though." Yami told him.

As they were laughing together, they heard Ryou gasp from the other room and say, "Oh shit." Before she turned the volume back on the TV.

"...new exclusive, pictures and videos are surfing the web right now of pop superstar Mana, who we just mentioned in a previous story, from what we're assuming was right before the start of her career. The images show that Mana, whose public story has always been that she was a waitress before her career took off-"

"Oh no. No no no no no no no." Mana was chanting from behind the couch, her hands pulling at her hairline, and her expression horrified. "Please tell me this isn't happening no…"

Yugi gaped at the screen before staring at Yami. The girl on the screen was definitely Mana, but she was wearing a lot of makeup, like she was trying to use it as a mask. She was also wearing different wigs in each of them. In the image, she had clearly not been waitressing, but had definitely been stripping, if her outfit and the money around her wasn't entirely indicative. Yami looked just as horrified as Mana did, but also much more confused. "Are these photoshopped? You never…"

"Also surfacing from the same source are these images of Yami, son of Aknamkanon and then boyfriend and current producer for Mana. While it isn't entirely clear what is being exchanged in the photos-" The pictures changed to ones of Yami, handing something to a person who was giving him money.

"Oh fuck." Yami said, his voice shaking. "Oh shit. That bastard. He must have found out about all of this and held onto it...I...you…" He looked over at Mana, "You lied to me."

"I lied to _you_? I was trying to keep a roof over our heads and I knew if you found out it'd destroy us! What drugs are you dealing in that picture, Yami?" Mana's voice rose quickly, she was clearly upset.

"I was trying to support us! My dad had just thrown me out, and we weren't getting hired by anyone and we were trying to make your album happen but we didn't have any money so I…" Realization spread across his features, "So I started dealing and you started stripping. We spent an entire year fighting and accusing each other of doing every horrible thing under the sun when we were both trying to make sure the other one had what they needed. And we worked at the same time, so neither of us ever noticed…" He was trembling by this point, "Mana, I'm so sorry-"

"Don't. I'm sorry too. I should have told you. We should have trusted each other." She was shaking her head, looking gloomy. "Who released these? I can't believe this is happening." Mana looked about ready to burst into tears.

"I can guarantee it was my father or someone who works for him. This is fucking horrible." Yami ran a hand through his hair, looking horribly sad. He looked at Yugi. "I'm so sorry. I would have told you about my part in this eventually, but I didn't think I'd be forced to this soon. I definitely didn't want you to find out like this."

Yugi blinked, unsure of what to say. This whole situation had come out of nowhere. He hadn't expected this sort of news about either of them, but hearing that they were trying to support and feed each other after whatever traumatic thing had happened to Yami did make it easier to understand. Mana looked so horribly uncomfortable as she looked at the pictures of herself again. "It's...okay. I know you aren't doing it anymore. It was for a good reason." Yugi felt his responses were robotic but they seemed to work to help calm Yami down.

"We have to go talk to Kaiba. He's going to kill us." Mana said to him.

Yami paled. "Oh shit. The public story was that he discovered you while you were waitressing. Oh fuck." He grabbed Mana's hand and they sprinted to the elevator to go to Kaiba's office.

Ryou and Yugi were left alone, both baffled. "Did you know about any of that?" Yugi asked her, and she shook her head.

"No. I have an idea of someone who might though." She stood and went into the kitchen, stirring Yami's stir fry before turning the burner off. "I'm going to leave this in the oven until they get back unless you want some. I'm suddenly not hungry." She looked at him, and he shook his head at her. She put the pan in the oven at a low temperature.

Yugi heard a door open, then heard Malik singing loudly, "Send my love to your new lo-o-over! Treat her be-" she stopped singing when she spotted them and saw how somber they both looked. "Why do you two look so gloomy? Where did Mana and Yami go?"

"They had to go talk to Kaiba. Did you know Mana used to strip and Yami used to deal drugs?" Ryou asked her rather bluntly.

Malik looked surprised. "I didn't know that was public knowledge."

"How THE FUCK did you know?" Ryou half shrieked at her.

"They both told me. Separately. They don't even know what the other one did." Malik said, looking even more confused.

"They do now. The world knows now, actually." Ryou told her.

Malik's eyes bugged out of her head. "You said they're with Kaiba?" She asked, and Yugi nodded at her before she took off, Osiris barking loudly at her heels.

"I knew she knew about it." Ryou sighed. "I'm suddenly happy I was so sheltered my whole life."

The elevator dinged, and they both looked up to see Bakura and Marik stepping out of it. Ryou went to Bakura, wrapping her arms around his waist. He gaped at her. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me." She said to him before pulling away, smiling at Marik and taking his hand. "Hi." She said to him, and he pulled on her arm to peck her quickly on the lips. "Hi yourself." He said to her.

Bakura made a gagging noise before moving to sit on the couch. "I said I would allow you two to date, I didn't say you could be all over each other in front of me."

Marik rolled his eyes, and Ryou said, "Oh, quit whining, Bakura. You're just jealous."

"I am not jealous!" He snapped at them, but the slight flush on his face said there was some truth to what she'd said. He watched the TV for a moment, his eyes widening when the story about Mana and Yami looped around again. "What the fuck?" His brow furrowed. Marik's expression mirrored his.

"Yeah. We just found out ourselves a bit ago. They went to go talk to Kaiba about it." Ryou told him.

Bakura shook his head as he watched the screen. "I never did buy their story. It didn't make sense that a waitress and son of a record label would end up helping Kaiba develop a record label. It was just too coincidental and perfect."

Yugi was still shocked from the news himself, but he mostly wondered what they were going to do to fix it. He had no idea how much backlash they were going to receive for this. What if Mana got in trouble? Or worse, what if Yami got arrested? He didn't know a lot about how America's legal system worked, so he had no idea if they'd be in more legal or ethical trouble.

As he was wondering this, the elevator dinged again, opening to reveal a very pissed off looking Kaiba, with Yami, Mana, Malik, and Mokuba beside him. Osiris bounded off first with a yap, running to Bakura and putting his front paws on his lap so he could pet him. "Hello, boy. Yes, I see you." Bakura said as he scratched the dog's neck.

Kaiba and Mokuba were next, with Malik following out to go over to Bakura and her dog. Yami and Mana proceeded slowly off the elevator, neither making eye contact with anyone, hand in hand. Kaiba had set up his computer on the table and was typing quickly before speaking. "I'm going to need you all to gather around. We're going to need to fix this. Tonight."

 **"Blow" is by Beyoncé, "G.U.Y." is by Lady Gaga, "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" is by Adele. I'll post more soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I still don't own YuGiOh!**

It had been five hours since Kaiba had made them sit with him to come up with a plan, and while they'd come up with many ideas, they still weren't anywhere near enacting them. Bakura, Malik, and Marik had been gone for almost an hour, supposedly off getting pizza for everyone but at this point everyone knew they were doing something else. No one seemed too worried, so Yugi had decided not to fret over it yet.

Mana had her head resting on her arms on the table, looking frustrated and defeated. The backlash she was receiving from the media was insane. Her fans seemed to be being a lot more understanding, writing things like, 'gee, I can't imagine why she would cover that up with the way everyone is reacting.' On the plus side, her last album was climbing the charts again, though that did little to lift her spirits.

Kaiba had spent a lot of time trying to find out exactly where the leak had come from, while Yami and Mokuba were coming up with ways to take the attention away from him and Mana. Ryou was keeping track of the situation on social media, trying to help gauge the best strategy based on how fans and critics were feeling. Yugi had spent his time running around, getting coffees and snacks for everyone, as well as grabbing Kaiba files and fact checking for him when he asked. He found they actually worked well together, which surprised him, but he kept those thoughts to himself.

After another half an hour of work, Mana finally slammed her hands on the table. Everyone in the room whipped around to stare at her. "This is insane. We're coming up with stories and plans and covers when we should just be honest about that time of my life." She said, her tone emotionless.

"How do you propose doing that?" Kaiba asked her, skeptical and clearly thinking she was losing her mind.

She stood, retrieving her laptop from where it was in her room. When she returned, she sat it down and sighed before speaking again, "The year that...that...was all happening, as well as the year following it, I wrote a whole album and Yami produced it. By the time we finished it, we were broken up. We'd come to that place together, so we were still best friends by the end of it, but...I spent that entire year thinking thinking he was cheating on me. Obviously that wasn't true, but I didn't know that at the time. Halfway through making it, Kaiba found Yami, and almost immediately after that we found Malik. She was the reason we ended up staying together as long as we did. I never let this album be released to the public, because it's...filled with a lot of anger and sadness. Resentment. I think now though...I need to be honest with everyone. It's hurting us more to be silent and try and redirect than it would if we were upfront with everyone. If it's okay with Yami." She said, for the first time since she started speaking sounding uncertain.

They all turned to face Yami, who was clearly thinking. "It's...not a bad idea. It's actually a great idea. We should listen to it all the way through and update it, but...I think it's a great idea." While his words were certain, his tone was nervous.

"It needs to be updated. I don't want you to seem horrible. Now that we've talked, I know that almost none of what I was thinking at the time was true. I don't want the things I was thinking so long ago to affect you today. We're both over it, there's no need to rile everyone up." She was looking at him sadly, clearly conflicted.

Yami took another long moment staring at the table, thinking hard. "Play it. I'll give you a definitive answer after. It's been a long time and I want to hear every word of it before we decide if it's a good plan. Does that sound okay, Kaiba?" He looked at him to confirm, and Kaiba stared hard at them both.

"You can play it through, but the second it seems like a waste of time I'm cutting it off. I'm not wasting my time and company resources on an album that's going to hurt us." He said.

"That's fair." Mana said, pausing for a moment before pressing play.

They sat as a group and listened to the first four songs without anyone saying a word. Ryou and Kaiba took notes on their laptops the whole time. Mokuba kept getting up to take calls for his brother. Yami sat in silence with his eyes closed, and would have appeared asleep except for the occasional times his eyebrows furrowed.

Yugi was pretty baffled by the entire situation. He definitely hadn't been expecting anything like this to happen today, and he really wasn't sure what to think of any of it, especially now that he was involved. When he'd been a fan and scandals had happened, he could pretty much wait until they were over and then go back and read about what had happened. That had always been easier than trying to keep track of them, and he was starting to really appreciate that way of doing things. Actually handling something like this was difficult and confusing, and it never seemed like there was a good way to do it.

He also wasn't sure how to feel about the whole thing personally. He wasn't so much upset about it because of what they'd done - it had made sense why they'd done it, but it clearly hadn't helped their relationship. That was clearly apparent from the songs they'd been listening to.

The first one had been about her hoping he'd catch her listening in on him, trying to hear if he was cheating on her. The second, while also being his favorite thus far, had a happy backtrack but also had somber lyrics, because she was suspicious and trying not to feel "jealous and crazy." The third and fourth tracks had been the ones to make everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. He'd looked at Ryou and the end of the third one, her eyes wide and horrified, and by the end of the fourth one her jaw was completely dropped. The third track had been an angry track, basically about how she was amazing and he was lucky to have her, and that when he did things to hurt her it hurt him too. The fourth track was legitimately just about her not being sorry for any of it.

While the album was actually very good and full of emotion, Yugi felt wildly uncomfortable listening to it. Having met Yami and knowing the story behind what had actually been happening in their relationship at the time, it felt horrible to hear about Yami like this, especially right after he'd started having feelings for him. It didn't make him want to stay away from him, on the contrary he was pretty adamant about proving how great Yami was now. He just wasn't sure how to do it. Especially with this album playing.

He stood and excused himself, going out to stand on the balcony. He took out his phone, contemplating. It was about 8:30 at night now, which meant it should be mid morning in Japan. He dialed his grandfather's number, playing with the zipper on his jacket.

"Hello, Yugi, my boy! How's everything in America?" His grandfather picked up immediately, sounding quite cheery.

"Hi, Grandpa. Things are… Interesting, to say the least. Tell me about things back home though." He said to him, hoping his grandfather could distract him a little before he asked him what he should do.

"Well, the shop's been doing well. Everyone's been asking where you are, and they hope you're doing well. I ordered this new game that came in yesterday that I know you would have really liked. It's a strategy game…" His grandfather explained the rules to him, and they had a great discussion about how it worked and different ways you could play it. It made him miss home, because he loved getting to talk to his grandfather and play games with him. He was one of the best gamers Yugi knew, and he was also one of the people he was closest to. His grandfather could always tell when he was upset and knew exactly how to distract him, then help him with whatever was bothering him.

"When we see each other again we'll play that together. It sounds amazing, Grandpa." Yugi told him.

"I'll hold you to that. Now, are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or should I tell you the rules to another game you've never heard of?" His Grandpa's tone was light and teasing.

Yugi sighed, "No, you don't have to do that. Do you remember our last conversation? I told you Anzu lived at Kaiba Corp. with a bunch of celebrities, and that I'm Malik Ishtar's assistant?"

"Yes, I remember that. One of them is Ryou, who you used to listen to at ear splitting volumes, right?"

Yugi laughed. "Yes, she's here. And you remember how crazy I told you things were?" His grandfather confirmed this. "Okay, well now it's gotten even wilder." He explained to his grandpa about Yami and Mana, and how he'd gone out with Yami the night before (which he had to answer several questions about, like what they did and what he thought of the museum). He then explained the news that had just dropped about Mana and Yami, and their version of it, and how Mana had an entire album written from during the time of the actual events that they were listening to.

"That's...quite a day." Was all Grandpa said when he was finished.

"Yeah. I don't know what to do. I'm so uncomfortable trying to figure this out...my opinion of them hasn't changed, I still think they're amazing, I just…" He trailed off.

"You're finding out the stars you looked up to are just people." Yugi started at that. "They've had problems and struggles no one ever knows about. Most of their careers are built on lies, Yugi. It doesn't make them bad people just for doing that; they're trying to please everyone and that's not a particularly easy task. Especially if they did degrading things to get to where they are. Even if it was for good reasons, that doesn't necessarily make it better in the public eye. I, personally, don't think they're that horrible. Especially if they were doing it to try and support each other. Maybe they didn't do it the right way, but they've grown from it and they can learn from those mistakes. That's the whole point of giving people second chances."

Yugi listened quietly, not speaking for a moment. "Thank you, Grandpa. I think that's exactly what I needed to hear."

"Of course, my boy. I'm glad I could help. Did you need to talk about anything else?" He asked, and Yugi smiled. His grandfather knew him so well.

"I feel weird about this whole situation mostly because I just started going out with Yami. Literally we went on a date last night. It's not like I expected him to tell me anything that secret on the first date or anything, but...I don't know." Yugi sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"If you're really uncertain, you should talk to him. It sounds like he likes you, and you've only ever bothered to go on dates once or twice, hock tells me you must care about him, even a little. You've only been in America a week or so. If you need time before you start seeing him, I'm sure he'll understand. Just talk to him." Grandpa reassured him.

"Okay, Grandpa. I think that's a good idea. Thank you." Yugi said to him, feeling slightly relieved that his Grandpa was so supportive of him, and that he cared enough to give him helpful advice.

"I need to get back to running the store, but call me again soon when you get the chance. I do miss you, Yugi." His Grandpa said, sounding sad.

Yugi felt longing stirring in his chest. He truly missed his Grandpa, more than he wanted to admit. "I miss you too, Grandpa. I love you." His voice was tight.

"I love you too. Call me soon." They ended the call, and Yugi put his phone back in his pocket. He took a moment to look out at Central Park, all lit up at night. You couldn't see the stars at all, but watching the city from this high up, the lights twinkled and it all seemed sort of magical. He kept looking for a minute before he turned and went back inside.

While he'd been gone, Marik had returned with pizza, but he was currently getting the fifth degree from Kaiba.

"-and you just let them run off to do whatever insane plan Bakura came up with? Do you realize how much trouble this company is already in? If Ishtar gets caught doing anything illegal with him we will get torn to shreds, and it will be on your shoulders." Kaiba said, his tone accusatory.

"Fuck you! They're both grown ass adults, they can do what they want.L Marik growled at him before eating practically half a slice of pizza in one bite. "Seriously. Fuck you." He said while chewing.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked, not surprised he'd managed to miss something in the time he was gone.

Ryou was pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "My dear darling cousin has decided to go awol with Malik and we have no idea where they are or what they're doing."

"Oh shit." Yugi's eyes bugged. That definitely was bad.

He walked over to the pizza boxes, taking a slice. He knew he probably should find something to do, but he was so hungry he didn't care, and he knew no one else in the room did either. He glanced around the room, seeing where everyone was. Ryou was in a chair in the living room, next to Yami and Mana, who were sitting next to each other on the couch, talking quietly. He headed in their direction, sitting in the other open chair.

"Have you heard from Mahad since you talked to him earlier?" Yami asked her.

"No." She said from where she was leaning against his shoulder. She looked exhausted. "He probably already knows about everything though. I told him everything when he was a bearded dragon."

"Really? Even that stuff?" Yami raised an eyebrow at her.

"I never thought he'd be able to tell anyone. It's part of why I was so freaked out when it turned out he was a person. He knows almost everything about me already because I willingly told him everything. Things I never would have told him if I'd known he wasn't a lizard." She pulled her legs up onto the couch so she was curled into a ball.

"That's...kind of horrible. Not his fault, but still horrible." Yami said, and she shrugged.

"It is, but it's also kind of...nice. I don't have to worry about keeping things from him, and he's an excellent listener, even as a human."

"That's good." Yami looked over at Yugi and half smiled at him. He seemed almost wary. "Hey."

"Hi." Yugi replied, hoping he sounded normal.

"Who were you talking to?" Yami asked him.

"My Grandpa. I hadn't checked in with him for a couple of days." Yugi explained.

Mana sat up a bit at that. "Did you live with him before you moved here?" Yugi nodded at her. "That's awesome."

Ryou made a surprised sound, and they turned her attention to her. "I got an email from that boy from last night - I gave him my address so he could update us. He's doing okay and he's very grateful for our help."

"That's great! Tell him I hope he continues to do okay. When he feels better we should do something with him too. I feel kind of horrible about how his evening went." Mana said to her.

"I'll tell him that. I wasn't going to email him back until Malik gets back, but that's such a good idea I'm not waiting." Ryou started typing immediately.

"How long until we send out a search party for her? Poor Osiris keeps going over to the elevator and looking for her." Mana asked as they watched Osiris walk to the elevator and stare at it for a moment before lying back down in front of it.

Ryou sighed. "If I know my cousin and best friend well enough, when they're done whatever it is they're doing. Hopefully not making children. Or anything illegal." Ryou added as an afterthought while they all giggled.

"It was definitely illegal." Marik said as he walked over to join them, sitting on the arm of Ryou's chair.

"Do you actually know what they were doing?" Yugi asked.

"Other than flirting pathetically? No idea. Malik said she had an idea she needed his help with, and then they ditched me at the pizza place." Marik rolled his eyes. "Assholes."

Ryou started playing with his hair. "Yeah, that's pretty fucking rude."

Marik seemed to relax into her hand, a dreamy smile forming on his face. "It's okay. You'll help me get revenge, right?"

"Of course. We'll tease them relentlessly." Ryou smiled down at him.

"That seems...truly tame for revenge." Marik was making a face at her.

"Trust me, it'll be fun." Ryou assured him, finding a spot on his head that felt particularly good when played with, because he made an "hnngh," sound before closing his eyes and not saying anything else.

"I think you broke him." Mana commented, and Yami chuckled.

"No, I'm just really good at what I do." She grinned at them.

They watched her play with his hair for a few minutes, until they heard the elevator ding. Osiris stood and let out a happy bark. "They must be back." Yugi said, and everyone nodded, adjusting to watch them come in.

They could hear them both laughing before the elevator was even at their floor. When the doors finally opened, they noticed Bakura had a large black bag with him. Osiris barked again, and Malik yelled, "Where my puppies at?!" before dropping to the floor next to him and scratching his neck.

"Hello, everyone." Bakura was beaming at them all in a way that made Yugi very nervous. He set the black bag on the coffee table in front of them.

"Where the fuck have you two been?" Kaiba came storming over from where he was sitting, clearly furious.

Bakura eyed him coolly. "Well, instead of sitting around and babbling like a bunch of old ladies, we decided to do something much more productive."

Kaiba opened his mouth, but Malik cut him off before he could speak: "We took a bunch of files from Sennen Records. We know who caused the leak. And why they pulled that bullshit with me."

"Are you serious? How did you get those?" Yami and Mana both sat up immediately and opened the bag. Yami pulled out a bottle of champagne from inside and looked at them like they were insane.

"We took that and an expensive bottle of wine too. They were in Aknamkanon's office." Malik explained.

"You were in his office? How?" Yami asked.

"We broke in, you twit." Bakura drawled, before a dreamy smile formed on his face. "Malik distracted the two guards in the front while I picked the lock to a side door. It was beautiful. They still have no idea we were ever in there. Malik even picked the lock to his desk herself while I was raising the liquor cabinet. She was brilliant." He complimented her, and she smiled proudly.

"You two broke in to Sennen Records? Are you stupid? If anyone finds out about this, consider yourself dropped from our label, too, Ishtar." Kaiba told her.

She rolled her eyes. "They're already out of business, Kaiba. Besides, I messed up their cameras before we got in there."

"And how did you do that?" Kaiba asked, his tone condescending.

She glared at him. "I threw huge rocks at the power lines until they fell down."

"You did?" Bakura asked her. "When did you do that?"

"While you were scouting around the back. I have really good aim, so it didn't take too long." She said.

Bakura was staring at her. "That's...amazing. You're amazing."

"When are you two getting married?" Marik asked them, and Bakura glared at him.

"They'll get married in prison." Kaiba muttered, and Malik flipped him off.

"Y'all are just jealous because we're such an amazing team. We got so much information, too. Just look at all of it."

"Aknadin leaked those pictures?" Mana said, confused. "Who's Aknadin?"

"My uncle. He's also VP of Sennen Records. Well, was." Yami was staring at the paperwork in his hands. "He's been running things there for a while though, it seems. Almost two years. Why, though?"

"Your uncle?" Mana's eyebrows furrowed. "You've never told me about him."

Yami tsked. "He's awful. He used to be okay, but...after my father threw me out, he started acting really high and mighty, and then a couple years ago he started being truly unbearable."

"I remember him." Everyone looked at Malik. "I probably talked to him more than I ever did your father. He made a lot of decisions for him too. I thought it was because Aknamkanon was busy or something, but from what little I read of those it sounded a lot shadier than that."

Yami kept reading through the papers. "He's the one who had you dropped. According to this, my father wasn't even consulted on that."

"How can he do that?" Yugi asked, thoroughly confused.

"He had the authority apparently. These are saying my father gave him permission to make executive decisions for some reason. Why…" Yami switched to a different set, continuing to rifle through them.

"Aknadin leaked those pictures of us. He had Valon trying to dig up dirt on us. He wanted the worst things he could find about us. They had to seriously do some digging to find them." Mana said, turning a page in the set she was holding.

"Aknadin's made every huge decision for them in two years. These emails...in half of them Aknamkanon is seriously pissed." Ryou said as she read.

Yami dropped the folder he was reading and took off up the stairs. "What the fuck?" Malik said before she walked over and picked up the file, reading it for a moment. "Oh shit. That's horrible."

"What? What are you reading?" Mana asked her. Yugi glanced at the stairs, wondering where Yami had taken off to.

"Aknamkanon...the reason he's been letting Aknadin run everything...he's sick. Like really sick." Malik said, reading further. "He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. What is that?" She looked at the group.

"Are you sure? Let me read that." Kaiba said speaking for the first time since they'd started reading the papers. He took the file from her and read it. "You're right. That's horrible." He kept reading a moment. "The reason Aknadins been running the company for him is because he's dying."

Yugi stood and went to the stairs immediately upon hearing that, going to the roof. He had a feeling Yami had gone up there. He walked out onto the roof and spotted him leaning against one of the railings along the side that overlooked the park. Yugi walked to his side and stood next to him.

"I take it you've heard." Yami said. Yugi nodded. "I can't believe it. I've been running through the past couple of years in my head, and he's shown up randomly with no explanation several times but...I never found out what he wanted. I usually avoided him or screamed at him the whole time." He rested his forehead in his hand. "He must have been trying to tell me that. He must have worked up the courage to come tell me, only to get silence or shouting."

"Why did he throw you out all those years ago?" Yugi asked him.

He sighed. "I came out to him. He didn't like it. He's tried to tell me he's accepting now and he doesn't care, but...I just can't forget something like that. I was planning on telling him then telling Mana the same night, but it went so badly with him that I didn't get the chance, and she was already so freaked out because we didn't have any money...my father pretty much had us both blacklisted from almost everywhere that wasn't fast food, which neither of us minded doing, it just didn't pay enough for us to get by. I should have realized what she was doing. It was stupid. I couldn't have a full conversation with her for a year, and whenever we did manage to talk we ended up fighting."

"That's horrible." Yugi said, his heart hurting for him. His grandfather had been completely accepting of him when he'd told him, and he'd never been in relationships that lasted a long time, let alone spanned years of that much turmoil.

"Yeah. If Kaiba hadn't tracked me down…" Yami laughed coldly and shook his head.

"Kaiba found you? I thought he found Mana?" Yugi said, confused.

"No. He wanted to branch Kaiba Corp. into music, so he found me because I'd been being groomed to take over Sennen Records when my father retired. Obviously that stopped when he kicked me out, but I knew enough about running a label, and I already had a star we could produce…" He sighed.

"That makes more sense. I haven't been able to wrap my head around everything that's been happening, but when you explain it like that…" Yugi leaned against the railing next to him.

"I'm glad you think so. I'm feeling pretty lost." Yami said. "I'm sorry to have dragged you into all of this. I understand if you don't want to go out again. This is all so crazy I don't even want to handle it, so I can't even imagine how you're feeling. You just moved here, you really didn't need the stress of a new relationship anyway..."

Yugi looked at him for a long moment. "I thought I might not earlier-" Hurt flashed across Yami's face before he caught himself and looked more neutral, "...but it's not like you were doing it to try and get rich. You obviously didn't have money until after you stopped. And you're not a horrible person. You've had it rough, but you survived. You're also clearly upset about your father even though he's been kind of horrible to you. Those aren't qualities that make me not want to be around you."

Yami studied him for a moment. "Do you mean that?" He asked. Yugi nodded. "Thank you. I don't...I don't really feel like I deserve how understanding you're being, but I want to try and earn it. You're kind of perfect."

Yugi blushed. "I don't know about that. I'm just trying my best."

"Seriously though. You're such a good and kind person. I want to be more like you. I feel like I learn about how to be a better person from you." Yami told him.

"Thank you. I can learn from you too though. You're brave and confident, and I could always use more of that." Yugi said.

Yami smiled warmly at him, finally seeming to have calmed down and cheered up a bit. It only lasted a moment before he seemed to decide something. "What do you think I should do about my father?"

"What do I think?" Yugi parroted, and Yami nodded. "Oh. Well…" Yugi thought for a moment before replying. "I guess you should talk to him. I know he hasn't been the greatest to you, but if he really is...you know...you'll regret it someday if you don't. He clearly regrets how he's treated you."

Yami sighed. "You're right. I need to know why he's been letting Aknadin get away with everything he's been doing, too. It's like he was trying to get it shut down the entire time, which just doesn't make sense."

Yugi nodded. "I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're right. There would have to be a reason for him to do that."

"Let's go back downstairs." Yami said, turning to leave.

"Wait." Yugi said, and he turned back. Yugi stepped toward him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Yami hesitated just a second before embracing him back. Yugi noticed he seemed to be trembling and hugged him tighter.

He wasn't sure how long they stood like that. Long enough that Yami had stopped shaking, which Yugi was happy about. He finally pulled away and slid his hand into one of Yami's with a smile before they walked downstairs together.

When they rentered the suite, they were both surprised by what they saw. Marik had a guitar he was playing in a chair, and everyone sans Kaiba was gathered around the area, all singing a song Yugi didn't know, but Yami seemed to as he pulled Yugi toward them. Mana was dancing with Ryou and Malik, all of them twirling around, while Bakura watched with a grin.

"If you wanna go and take a ride with me, we three wheeling in the fo' with the gold D's! Oh why do I like this wa- HEY! MUST BE THE MONEY!" They all chorused together. They went on that way a little longer before the song ended and they started laughing.

"That was so awesome." Ryou giggled as she sat on the arm of Marik's chair.

"What made you guys start singing that?" Yami asked.

They all looked at him for a long moment before Malik responded, "We were trying to lighten the mood. Are you…?" She didn't finish her question, but she and Yami seemed to have an entire conversation with her using just their eyes. She nodded at him and gripped his shoulder a moment before going to get a water.

"Are you okay, Yami?" Ryou actually asked.

He sighed before nodding. "I'm going to talk to him soon and get to the bottom of this. I need a little time to wrap my head around everything but…" He squeezed Yugi's hand, "I'm okay."

"Good." Mana said, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He let go of Yugi's hand to hug her. "I'm sorry." He heard her murmur in Yami's ear.

"I'm sorry too. We'll be okay, though." He pulled back from her.

"Oh, you also missed that Aknadin leaked one of Malik's unreleased songs where she's actually singing." Ryou said.

"What the fuck is his problem?" Yugi said before he could stop himself.

Malik rolled his eyes. "He's just busy being Satan. Oh, speaking of that song though, will you help me with something quickly? I didn't want to do it while you were still on the roof." She said to Yami, who nodded. "Great. Take this," she handed him her phone, "And come with me."

They gathered in the stairwell, a floor below her for reasons Yugi wasn't certain of. "Ready, Yami?" She asked, and he opened the camera and started a video.

When Malik opened her mouth and started singing a moment later, Yugi's jaw dropped, and he could tell he wasn't the only one who was shocked. "Why is everything with you so complicated? Why do you make it hard to love you, oh I hate it…" She kept singing for a moment, going through what Yugi assumed was the chorus of the song, her voice reverberating throughout the staircase loudly. When she finished, Yami stopped recording. "What? You all look like gaping fish right now." She said, looking down at them like they were insane.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" Ryou asked her.

"My fantastic vocal chords?" Malik said, her tone rising at the end of the sentence like a question.

"Girl, that's not even fair. You shouldn't get to look like that AND rap AND act AND sing. That's not cool." Mana said.

"Feeling threatened?" Malik grinned down at her.

Mana scoffed. "Bitch, please."

"Seriously, that was really amazing." Yugi told her, and she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Yugi. See how easy it is to just compliment me, Mana? Ryou?" She teased them.

"As if your ego needs any extra stroking." Ryou rolled her eyes.

Malik made her way down to them, watching the clip of herself quickly before trimming the beginning and end so it was just her singing. "That's perfect. Thank you, Yami."

"Of course." He said as they made their way back inside. He glanced at the time. "It's not even that late yet, but I'm exhausted."

"Same." Yugi agreed.

"Let's watch a movie and then go to bed." Mana suggested, and they all agreed.

Ryou put in the first Star Wars on, and they settled in to watch it. Yami sat between Yugi and Mana on the couch, holding hands with Yugi and eventually resting his head against his shoulder. Yugi wrapped an arm around his shoulders so they were more comfortable. Ryou was sitting on Marik's lap in one of the chairs, and Bakura and Malik were sitting on the floor together in front of the other chair. He appeared to be playing with the rings on her hand, which she found amusing if the look on her face was any indication.

Yugi smiled. He was glad he's managed to make his way into this little group of friends. They had a lot of drama, but, he thought as he glanced down at Yami, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder, it was worth it. He felt his eyes slide closed before the movie was half over.

He woke to Mana shaking his shoulder a while later. "Malik and I pulled out sleeping bags. Come get comfy."

He helped Yami to his feet, not convinced Yami was actually awake but more sleepwalking. They settled into a pair of bags with Malik on Yugi's left side and Mana on Yami's right. The last thing he remembered was Yami taking his hand between their sleeping bags before he fell asleep again.

 **"Ride Wit Me" is by Nelly, "Complicated" is by Rihanna. I'll post more soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi sliced into his waffles, chewing happily. Ryou and Marik had gotten up early and cooked breakfast for everyone ("Well, I cooked. Marik mostly watched."). Malik had a plate waiting for her when she got back from working out. "She literally gets up before sunrise every day so she can watch it and then go stair climbing for hours on end. Even if she didn't go to bed until 3 AM." Ryou had rolled her eyes as she'd told him this.

Yugi looked over at Yami, who was sitting across from him. He was getting the idea that Yami had a hard time waking up in the morning, because he seemed to still be half asleep as he ate. Yugi knocked his foot under the table and Yami looked up at him, smiling when he caught his eye.

"This is so good, Ryou. I'm not even mad about how much sugar I am consuming right now. These are amazing." Mana praised her, making a satisfied noise as she chewed a bite of waffle covered in slices of strawberry.

"Thank you. I thought we all deserved a nice breakfast after how stressed out we've been. I think I'll make something for dinner tonight too...anyone have any suggestions?" She asked.

Yami seemed to perk up at that. "Do you know what I've been craving? Your homemade ravioli. It's so good I can't even."

She laughed at that. "Thank you, Meme of Yami."

The elevator dinged, and they all looked up as Kaiba stepped off with Mokuba, Malik, and to Yugi's surprise, Anzu. "Good morning, peasants!" Malik decreed as she made her way over to them.

"Peasant? Did you want these waffles, or shall I give them to Osiris?" Ryou indicated her dog, who bounded happily over to her at the sound of his name.

"Peasants and Ryou the Magnificent and Majestic Being." Malik corrected, and Ryou handed the plate to her.

"That smells amazing. Did you cook, Ryou?" Mokuba asked, and she nodded.

"Help yourselves, I made plenty." She said to them. Mokuba headed toward the kitchen immediately, Anzu right behind him. She waved at Yugi before making herself a plate and taking a seat next to him.

Mokuba followed her holding two plates, setting one next to Kaiba's laptop before sitting down and eating his own. Kaiba eyed it before looking at him. "I'm good."

"You barely eat, and you definitely haven't had breakfast today. You can take a break from running the company to make sure you don't run yourself into the ground." Mokuba pressed, shooting Kaiba an annoyed look.

Kaiba rolled his eyes before taking a bite. He chewed for a moment before taking another and muttering something. "Sorry, didn't catch that." Mokuba said.

"This is good." Kaiba said as he took another bite, not making eye contact with anyone.

"See? I knew you'd like it. Ryou's cooking is the best." He smiled at her, and she thanked him warmly.

Yugi turned to Anzu. "What are you doing here?" He asked, not rudely, but more simply out of curiosity.

"Woooow. 'Hi Yugi, I haven't seen you in a long time either. I've also missed you. I'm glad you're doing well-'"

"Okay, okay, that wasn't the best way to phrase that!" He laughed as he cut off her teasing. "Hi, Anzu. How are you today?"

She gave a joking gasp. "Oh, good morning, Yugi! I didn't even see you there! I'm doing well, how about you?"

He kept laughing. "I'm good."

"I'm here because I went to talk to Kaiba this morning and Malik was already there and told me to come here. Something about not hiding out alone in my apartment and only leaving to dance."

Yugi felt a pang of guilt at that - he hadn't really had time to spend with her since he'd started doing assistant duties. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she held up a hand. "Don't apologize. I can see in your eyes you want to and there isn't a reason for you to. Malik pretty much told me I was welcome to come hang out when I feel like it."

"That's a general, open invitation, by the way." Yami said from across the table. They both looked at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but everyone here likes you, Anzu. You're welcome to come endure the insanity with us whenever you feel like."

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "Has it really been that crazy?"

Yami scoffed. "I don't think there's enough time in the day for me to recap the absolute mess that was yesterday."

Yugi wondered why Anzu and Yami were chatting so comfortably, when he remembered that Ryou had told him they'd occasionally hang out before he'd moved here. He hadn't realized they knew each other well enough that they actually shared day to day details. He was glad they already were friends, because he didn't have to worry about whether they'd get along.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Kaiba asking Mana suddenly, "Have you made a decision about how you want to handle everything?"

"No. I think the album's a good idea, but...not at Yami's expense. I'll probably have the songs distributed to other artists to pick from so they at least stand a chance of being heard. I don't know what to do to change the conversation though." She rested her head in her hand, conflicted. "I'm having a hard time coming up with a plan to make it better when I'm kind of ashamed. I know I shouldn't be, either, but when enough people say the same awful things about you…" She shook her head and sighed.

"Can I be honest with you?" Malik asked her, and Mana gestured that she should continue. "First of all, fuck EVERYONE who is giving you flack right now. They have no idea how hard that was for you, or what that did to you mentally and emotionally, or why you did it. Yami too." Her eyes flicked over to him before she returned her intense gaze at Mana. "Second, that album is great. It's much more personal and honest than your music usually is, but I don't think it's going to help you now at all. I talked to Kaiba about it this morning, and I think what might help you is this…"

Malik pulled up a video on her phone of Mana from several years ago. It opened with Mana prepping for rehearsal, Malik behind the camera. "Okay. I wrote this for you. It's kind of universal, but it's for you. I've noticed you're sort of…conflicted. And you have every reason to be. I just wanted to give you something you could remember during those moments." Mana said to the camera. Video Malik said nothing, and Mana sighed and said, "Okay. I'm just going to go for it."

A tribal sounding beat started in the background, Mana standing between two of her dancers. She started singing, "I remember being young, so brave, I knew what I needed…" She kept going strong, and when she reach the chorus and started singing, "I'm a grown woman! I can do whatever I want!" Malik could be heard giggling from behind the camera.

Mana stopped the video after a moment. "I can't believe you remember this. It's brilliant, though. Do you think it's a good idea?" She looked at Kaiba.

"I told her if she kept thinking like that she could be the head of a department in this company someday." Kaiba said. Malik was grinning proudly from beside him.

"Really? You said that? You said something nice to someone who wasn't Mokuba?" Yami said, and Kaiba glared at him.

"I'm worth complimenting, Yami." Malik grinned at him cockily, and he rolled his eyes, pretending to look around the room.

"Nurse! Nurse!" He called to no one in particular.

Malik gave him a confused look. "Why are you yelling that?"

"Because you need help and nurses help people." He smiled slyly at her, and she picked up a strawberry slice from her plate and threw it at him. It landed on his cheek and stuck. "I was still hungry, thank you." He said and he peeled it off and ate it.

She rolled her eyes. "Typical. Anyway, Mana, I think the best thing you can do right now is release music that has nothing to do with it and pretend it didn't happen. Let them all wonder. It's none of their business." She reached for the remote to the TV and turned the news on.

"Oh don't do that. What if they're still talking about us?" Mana whined.

"They're definitely not, look at that." Yami said, and they noticed the story was showing several firefighters outside of a building.

"Police still aren't certain what caused the fire at Sennen Records building, but are currently investigating for potential gas leaks or a possible arsonist. No casualties have been reported." Everyone turned to look at Malik and Bakura. Her jaw was dropped, and he was shaking his head.

"That's definitely from you knocking those wires out. I think I might have to revoke all those times I told you how great you are." Bakura said to her.

She glared at him. "Fuck you! What would you have done if I hadn't been there to distract those security guards! You don't have cleavage for them to ogle!"

He shrugged. "I would have figured something out. I don't need help stealing. I'm much more successful alone."

"We clearly succeeded together because the story isn't about how the police are looking for us!" She snapped at him.

"No, but it could be." Bakura stressed the word 'could.' "It was kind of a stupid idea."

Malik's expression was unreadable as she stared at him. "Whatever." She stood and left the room, taking the stairs. Bakura glared after her before huffing and crossing his arms, looking pissed.

Moments later, the elevator dinged, and Mahad, Isis, and Rishid stepped out. Osiris barked happily at them, and Rishid began immediately petting him. "Hello, everyone." Isis smiled at them all, and they returned her greeting.

Mahad moved to where Mana was sitting, and she stood to greet him. "Hey, ho-oof!" She let out a gasp as he pulled her to his chest, hugging her tightly.

"I saw the entertainment news last night and came back here as soon as I could. Are you okay?" He pulled away from her, leaving his hands on her shoulders so he could look at her face.

"Y-yes. You didn't have to…" She trailed off, looking a bit dazed.

He bit his lip and dropped his hands, suddenly realizing how awkward the situation was. "Sorry. I know it's weird that I know, and you never intended for anyone to, but...I'm here for you." He said to her nervously.

She smiled at him. "Thank you." They continued to stand awkwardly, both uncertain what to say or do.

Yami looked between the two, grinning widely for a moment before stepping in. "Hi, Mahad. Did you find your family?"

He brightened immediately. "Yes. It took some time because they didn't live in the same house, but I found them. I'm going to wait to see them until Friday. I got Rishid to call and pretend that he had found me after all these years, and he set up a place for us to meet and everything." He beamed at Rishid, who nodded his head humbly.

"Anything I can do to help." Rishid said humbly.

"Where is my sister?" Isis asked, looking around for Malik.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "She took off a minute ago. Not sure where." He said vaguely.

Isis nodded, and Mahad breathed in deeply. "What were you all eating? It smells delicious." He asked.

"I made waffles. Would you like some?" Ryou said, and he nodded vigorously, "Isis? Rishid?" She asked, and they looked at each other before agreeing. Ryou stood and made fresh waffles for them.

"How are you doing, Yami?" Mahad asked him, "I know you're technically taking heat right now too, but I've only really heard about Mana."

Yami sighed. "That's typical and sexist. I've been better, but I'll be okay."

Kaiba eyed Yami from where he was sitting. "Are you going to talk to Aknamkanon?"

Yami nodded. "I'm going to go interrupt dinner in a couple of days."

"Isn't that kind of rude?" Mokuba asked, raising a brow at him.

"He gave me fifteen minutes to pack my stuff when he threw me out. He timed it on the microwave. That's fucking rude."

Mahad snorted at that. "Sorry. That's not actually funny."

"It's fine." Yami said.

"What happened to your father, Yami? If you don't mind my asking." Rishid asked him.

"I found out last night that he has COPD. I'm not entirely sure how bad it is, but I know he isn't doing well. He's had it for a while but he...didn't get the chance to tell me." Yami explained.

Isis and Rishid both looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that, Yami. That's horrible." Rishid said, and Yami nodded at him in acknowledgement.

A high pitched ringtone started blaring loudly, and Mana stood immediately and pulled out her phone. "It's Malik." She told them before answering. "What's up buttercup?" She answered, rather adorably. She listened to Malik speak for a moment. "I can do that. Where are you? ...Vague much? ...Okay. I'll be there soon." She ended the call and stood, moving toward the elevator. "I'll be back in a bit." She called over her shoulder as she walked down the stairs.

"Tell her we're here and I want to see her soon!" Isis yelled to her, and Mana gave her a thumbs up as she descended.

"I wonder what that's about." Ryou said, frowning.

They sat around the table in silence for a moment, before Yami asked, "Does anyone want to play a game while we wait for them to get back?"

"No." Everyone except Yugi immediately responded.

"What if it was Cards Against Humanity or something?" He suggested as he rolled his eyes, and that seemed to work for everyone. He pulled out a long black box from one of the bookshelves and brought them over to the table. Everyone (save Kaiba and Isis, who were talking to each other quietly) took out a large stack of cards to shuffle, moving the process along quickly.

They played for almost an hour and a half, the game finally ending when Yugi won, much to the shock of everyone in the room. "What the fuck just happened?" Marik asked, very confused.

"This is wildly disturbing. You've done what none of us have been able to do." Bakura said, almost in shock.

Yugi bit his lip. "What do you mean?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "They mean because you beat me. It's not that big a deal. Especially since you've beaten me at rummy."

"What?" Kaiba asked, speaking for the first time in ages.

"Seriously, it doesn't matter." Yami said coolly.

"You don't lose to anyone though." Marik said. "It's seriously annoying."

Anzu scoffed. "You're just jealous of the fact that Yugi beat him. He can't help being so much better than all of us."

Yugi's face turned a deep shade of red, as the men around the table shot Anzu dirty looks. "I-I wouldn't say that." Yugi stammered.

"Really? I'll say it twice then. He's better than all of us." Anzu repeated, looking at all of them as if to challenge them.

"I'll second that." Yami said immediately.

"You're honestly one of the best people I've met and I haven't known you that long." Ryou said sincerely.

Yugi felt like his face was on fire at this point, and he kept his gaze trained on his hands. He really wasn't sure how to respond to their compliments.

Thankfully, Mana and Malik chose that moment to return, both howling with laughter like a pair of hyenas. Osiris started barking before they appeared, they were laughing so loudly. "What is happening to you both?" Yami asked, raising a brow at them.

Malik tried to answer, but it resulted in her laughing harder. Mana caught her breath enough to say, "We were...coming up the stairs...and I turned really fast...and fell on my ass." She was laughing hysterically again, and Malik had tears running down her face from laughing so hard.

"So you fell...and that was funny?" Ryou asked, grinning in amusement.

"Her FACE!" Malik managed to get out before she snort laughed twice, which made Mana start laughing so hard she wasn't making sound.

"I will end you both unless you calm down." Kaiba deadpanned at them.

It took them several moments, but they managed to calm down. Malik finally noticed Rishid and Isis, standing and rushing over to hug them both. "Hi." She said as she hugged Isis from behind her chair. "Sorry I didn't come here right away."

"Don't be. I'm glad you're having fun." Isis smiled at her.

"What were you two up to, anyway?" Rishid asked before Malik hugged him as well.

Malik's face brightened. "I think we've figured out how to handle this whole scandal that shouldn't be happening."

Kaiba leaned forward in his chair, "What's your plan?"

Mana took a deep breath. "Well, I'm going to release the song we talked about earlier, but first I want to release a different song and the music video we made for it."

"You mean the music video we're going to make for it?" Yami asked.

"No, the one we made. Malik filmed most of it on my phone about...forty five minutes ago." Mana explained. .

"On your phone?" Yami seemed very confused now.

"Yes. I liked that it wasn't in the most high definition. It made it feel more sincere. We already edited most of it, I just want to redo some parts of it with my dancers. Particularly you, Anzu." Mana said, addressing her directly.

"That sounds awesome." Anzu beamed at her.

"Can I see it?" Yami asked, and Mana handed him her phone.

"Wait! Put headphones in! Don't spoil it!" Malik said quickly, pulling a set of purple headphones out of her bag and handing them to him. Yami stared listening and watching intently. Malik looked at Marik. "I remixed The Hills too. I hope that's okay."

He raised a brow at her. "Play it." He said, sounding intrigued.

"I didn't actually change any of the production or anything, I just added a verse at the beginning." She explained as she pulled out her laptop and moved to sit on his other side. Bakura tried to catch her eye as she walked by, staring almost longingly at her, but she breezed by him without so much as a glance. He returned to looking annoyed.

She played the song, and Marik leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he listened. Her part only lasted about forty seconds at the beginning, but he was grinning widely by the end of it. "That's amazing." He said before he started typing quickly on her laptop. "That will be available for purchase at midnight."

Malik widened her eyes in surprise at him. "What? Really? You don't have to talk to anyone first?"

"Oh, you're right." He looked down the table. "Hey Kaiba! Want to make more money?" Kaiba gave him a thumbs up, not even lifting his gaze from his laptop screen. "Yeah, we're good." He grinned at her, and she continued to look at him like he was insane.

"What about your label though? I didn't think you were signed to Kaiba Corp." Ryou asked, clearly understand what Malik was finding confusing still.

"I'm not signed to anyone. I technically am signed to a distributor, but they just release whatever I give them to." He explained.

"Really? That's awesome." Malik said.

"Okay, so…" Everyone looked at Yami, who had taken off the headphones to massage his temples, "What the fuck was that song? Did you make it up in twenty seconds or something?"

"I mean, kind of." Mana said sheepishly. "We got to talking, and agreed that the best thing I can do in this situation is release actual nonsense like nothing has changed, because technically, nothing has changed. We agreed releasing something completely unrelated will give everyone something else to think about."

Yami stared at her for a long moment before she added, "And Malik used all of her lyric writing abilities on the songs she was working on when I showed up. You literally wrote, like, ten songs in half an hour. I can barely do two a day." Mana half whined at the end.

"It wasn't ten." Malik said, "It was like...four or five."

Mana scoffed. "Oh, I'm sorry. 'Nyeeeh, I'm Malik, I can write an entire album in half a day, something no normal person can do! Waa-EEP!" She stopped mocking Malik when the girl in question threw a pen at her face. Mana ducked so it flew past her.

"Don't be fucking rude." Malik said, grinning widely at her.

"What did you write today, Mal?" Yami asked her, and she squirmed almost uncomfortably, which Yugi found rather odd.

"They're...ah...well…" She started, but couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"They're songs. Like songs she plans on singing." Mana interjected.

"Really? You're really going to do it?" Ryou asked. "I've been wanting this forever so please do it."

"You're probably the only one." Malik joked, but received a chorus of "no" from everyone except Bakura, who was clearly trying not to take interest in her.

"I didn't know you could sing." Rishid said, and Isis agreed, shaking her head at Malik with her eyes narrowed.

"It's...ah...a recent development?" Malik laughed nervously, shooting Yami a look that said, 'save me from my sister.'

"Did you record them or just write them?" Yami asked quickly.

"Both. They're definitely still in demo mode though. I didn't have time to get further than that." She replied.

"Let's go, then." Yami stood and bounded toward the stairs. "C'mon! Get excited and get over here!" He called to her. She laughed, scooping up her laptop.

"Anyone who wants to is welcome to come." She said as she followed Yami. Ryou and Marik stood and went after them immediately, Mokuba looking at Kaiba for a moment before doing the same. Bakura hadn't moved at all, looking rather bored.

"I'm going to steal Anzu and Yugi. Is that okay?" Mana asked.

Malik turned and walked backwards as she said, "Sure! I'll text you if I need you, Yugi!" Before she disappeared down the stairs.

Mana beamed at them. "This is excellent. I want to release this tomorrow." She said to them, drumming her fingers on the back of her phone before saying to Anzu, "Can you text the girls and let them know to come up here? I'm going to call Joey."

"Sure." Anzu said, sending a group message to her fellow dancers to meet them upstairs.

Before Mana was even off the phone with Joey, he arrived, still talking to her. "See? Told ya I'd be here before you could end this call!" He proclaimed proudly. "Hey Anzu, Mokuba. And Yugi! How ya doing buddy?" He asked excitedly.

"Hi, Joey. I'm good, how are you?" Yugi asked, feeling kind of awkward for answering so formally.

Joey just nodded at him. "That's great. How's workin' been?"

"It's...different, but not in a bad way. Everyone has been really nice." He said.

He noticed Anzu was watching the video Mana had made earlier, trying to pick up the choreography ahead of time. As he and Joey made small talk about things to do and places to eat in the area, the dancers started arriving. When one girl, with lilac colored hair tied in a yellow ribbon arrived, Anzu waved at her. "Miho!" The girl smiled at her, dropping her duffle bag in a chair before coming around to where Anzu was sitting. "Hello, Anzu. Who's this?" She asked, indicating Yugi.

"This is my best friend since childhood and Malik's assistant, Yugi. Yugi, this is Miho, one of the girls I dance with." Anzu introduced him proudly.

"Nice to meet you." He said sheepishly to her.

Miho gasped. "You work with Malik? That's so awesome! Miho loves her!" She said enthusiastically.

Yugi looked at Anzu, giving her a look that said, "did she really just talk about herself in the third person?" Anzu just rolled her eyes and grinned at him as if to say, "yeah, she does that."

"She's pretty great." He said to Miho with a smile.

"Are you using Mana's phone?" Miho asked Anzu, who was rewatching the video on it for a fifth time.

"Yeah. She wanted me to work on learning the choreography ahead of time. It's mostly her messing around with Malik." Anzu explained.

Miho let out a whine. "That's so cool. Miho wishes she was Mana's favorite."

Anzu blushed. "I wouldn't say that-"

"She moved you to the front and it looks like she's trying to make you the swing." Miho pointed out to her.

Yugi looked confused. "What's a swing?"

"The lead dancer for the group. They know all the choreography for every dancer in any spot in any given number." Mana said from behind them, and they all jumped. "Hi." She grinned at them. "She's also not wrong, Anzu. I am planning on grooming you for that."

Anzu's eyes bugged in her head. "Really?"

"Of course. You're an amazing dancer and I love your energy and spirit. And the way you told Marik and Bakura how it was earlier? Flawless." She snapped her fingers when she said, 'flawless.'

Yugi nodded. "I was afraid for your life."

Anzu giggled. "That's sweet, but I had a feeling everyone else would back me up."

"Still admirable." Mana said with a smile. "I think everyone's here now. Let's get started!"

Nearly ten hours later, the music video was done being filmed, and Yugi felt beyond exhausted. He couldn't even imagine how Anzu, who was drinking what must have been nearly her twentieth bottle of water, was feeling. Ryou had shown up at around the sixth hour and had made dinner for everyone, the smell of her homemade ravioli driving them all a bit insane. It had finished cooking about half an hour before, and was simmering on the stove while Ryou went and got the rest of them, who hadn't returned from the studio yet.

Yugi had spent most of the day running around, finding props or getting food or water. He'd also spent quite a bit of time bonding with Joey, and found they both had a lot in common, including a love of hamburgers and games.

"Thank you, everyone!" Mana announced loudly, and everyone in the room looked toward them. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to - I know you all have lives outside of this room, I haven't forgotten." Several of the girls laughed at that. "However, Ryou told me she made plenty to share, and you're all welcome to eat and party with us this evening. Seriously, thank you all for your hard work, today and everyday. You're amazing and I love each and every one of you."

They cheered and clapped as she finished speaking, four of the girls going over to her and talking to her briefly before they gathered their bags, grabbed bottles of water for the road, and gathered in the elevator to leave. "Bye, ladies!" Anzu yelled with a wave just before the doors slid shut. She seemed to be glowing she was so happy.

"Did you have fun?" Yugi asked her with an amused smile. He was glad to see her succeeding at what she'd been dreaming of her whole life.

"Today has been perfect. I'm so happy." Anzu leaned back in her seat on the couch with a large smile on her face.

"I'm happy for you." He smiled warmly at her.

"Hey everyone!" Ryou appeared, their friends right behind her, and Marik had two fingers through one of her belt loops. "Dinner's ready, so come and get it!"

The dancers practically ran into the kitchen like ravenous animals. Yugi chuckled as he watched them. Anzu didn't move from beside him. "I'll get up in a minute. Maybe. I might just become this couch and never rise again."

"Listen up everyone!" As asked, everyone turned and looked to see Malik standing on the stairs, looking like she'd just run up every flight to get to them. "We have just been informed that there's an unknown virus that's attacking all clubs! Symptoms have been said to be heavy breathing, wild dancing, coughing, so when you hear the sound-" Literally everyone in the room except Yugi shouted, "whooo-di-whooooo!" Before Malik finished with, "Run for cover, motherfuckers." Missy Elliot started blaring from the speakers in the room.

Malik made her way over to where Yugi and Anzu were seated and flopped down next to him ungracefully. "I think I'm going to wake up tomorrow and find that my legs have left me for someone who sits more." She said.

"You and me both." Anzu moaned tiredly.

"Good. I'll park my wheelchair next to yours." Malik said, which made Yugi and Anzu giggle.

"Hey." Yugi looked up at the sound of Yami's voice, smiling when he saw he was holding two plates. "I made one up for you. I hope that's okay."

"It is. Thank you." Yugi blushed a bit as he accepted it.

"Awwww." Malik and Anzu both cooed teasingly.

"I wish someone would get me food." Malik said.

"You know what's amazing about that? You have working hands and feet." Yami grinned at her, kicking her foot lightly she should scoot over so he could sit beside Yugi.

"I don't though, they're leaving me for someone with a desk job!" She told him, and he laughed as he sat down between them.

"That might be a bit dramatic." Yami said with a chuckle.

"No, Anzu's are leaving her too! We're going to both be without legs soon, Yami! We'll never dance another step!" She insisted, and he started laughed harder.

"You're ridiculous." He said.

"Here." They all looked up at Mana, who handed a plate to Anzu and to Malik. "You've both worked really hard today, and I'm proud of you both."

"Thank you, Mana." Anzu said gratefully.

Malik moaned as she took a bite. "Mana, I could kiss you, I'm so happy to not have to get up right now."

Mana giggled. "As great as that sounds, I don't want Bakura to tear me limb from limb."

"Fuck Bakura." Malik spat. She was clearly still angry with him for what he'd said earlier.

They all sat in awkward silence for a moment, before Mana said, "Okay, well, fuck him, then. I'll schedule in a make out later." She joked as she walked back into the kitchen.

"You better!" Malik yelled to her.

"How are you, Yugi?" Yami asked him. They'd been eating in silence, just watching their friends, but Yami really just wanted to talk to Yugi without getting interrupted a hundred times. Yugi felt the same way. He liked having someone to sit with and discuss how their days both went over dinner, but it was hard when they were always in a group setting. He made a mental note to ask Yami to go on another date soon.

"I'm good. It's been a long day, but Mana's video shoot went really well. How about you?" He asked him.

Yami sighed tiredly, but he was smiling. "It was pretty intense. We got a lot done, and Malik sounded amazing, but...it was intense." He repeated.

"Why was it intense?" Yugi asked, curious.

"It was pretty emotional. A lot of it was fun, but there was this one song...and then this other song that was so sad…" He said, rather vaguely.

"Oh. That's sort of the opposite of what was happening here." Yugi said, and Yami laughed.

"Yeah, 7/11 is definitely not intense in emotion. I imagine the choreography was hard, though."

Yugi chewed and thought for a moment. "I certainly couldn't do any of it."

"What? You're not a trained professional dancer?" Yami teased him.

"Does the Macarena count?" He asked, and Yami snorted, throwing a hand over his mouth and blushing. "You're adorable." Yugi said to him with a large grin.

"My teeth are all fake but I'm still pretty sure you're both giving me a cavity." Malik said.

"You're just jealous." Yami stuck his tongue out at her.

"Am I? Or are my veneers falling out of my mouth?" Malik questioned.

"For your sake, I seriously hope not." Yugi said, and she laughed. He took the last bite of his ravioli. "Ryou's such a good cook. That was delicious." He said, and Yami took his plate.

"I was going to get some more. Would you like some?" Yami asked, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Thank you!" He called after him, and Yami winked at him as he rounded into the kitchen.

"You two are so good together." Malik said from her end of the couch. "He's seriously never been this happy before, Yugi. I know you're both still in the honeymoon stage, but you really make him happy."

"He makes me happy, too." Yugi said, looking down at his hands with a blush.

"I'm glad you've found someone." Anzu said to him, and he smiled at her.

"Thank you. Both of you." He said sincerely.

"Seriously, he was talking about you today and he really admires you and thinks you're amazing. He used to be very…" Malik took a bite and chewed as she searched for the word, "Lonely. He poured everything he had into what Mana and Kaiba Corp. were working on, or what was going on in our lives, but...it was never for him. He gives a lot without expecting anything in return, and it's easy to take advantage of that, even if you're not trying." She looked a little guilty as she said the last part.

"You're pretty perceptive." Anzu said to her.

"And charismatic." Malik said without missing a beat.

"And humble." Yami said as he returned, handing Yugi his second plate and sitting. Malik stuck her tongue out at him. "What are we talking about?" He asked.

"How adorable you and Yugi are." Anzu said, the teasing apparent in her tone.

"We are pretty cute." Yami agreed, and she laughed.

Malik suddenly sat up bolt upright, her hand on Yami's knee and looking wildly around the room. "Where is Ryou?"

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"This is our song!" She explained, standing and finally spotting Ryou over by the bar, where she appeared to have been talking to Marik, but she crooked her finger at Malik and they ended up dancing together in the middle of the room. They were doing the sort of choreography teenagers made up, more silly and pretending to be sexy than dancing, but they were both laughing and enjoying it so much it wasn't embarrassing to watch.

"Are they really dancing to Fergalicious right now?" Yugi asked Yami as they watched their friends in amusement.

"Yes. I forgot this was 'their jam.'" Yami put air quotes around those words, and Yugi giggled.

They watched the two girls as they twirled and laughed until the song ended. Ryou was leaning on the piano laughing. "I can't believe we both remember that. Why does anyone think we're cool?"

"It's all smoke and mirrors." Malik grinned.

Yugi felt a tug on his sleeve and looked at Yami. "Come with me to the balcony." He said to him, and Yugi nodded, standing and holding his hand out to help Yami up. He laced their fingers together as he led the way over to the double doors leading to the balcony.

Once they were outside, they stood together for a moment, leaning on the railing together in silence. Yugi still hadn't gotten over how gorgeous the park and city looked from up this high at night. He missed seeing the stars, but it was a small price to pay to be where he was standing.

"I want you to come with me when I talk to my father." Yami said suddenly.

Yugi looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

Yami nodded. "I don't want to go alone. And I found these in that file yesterday…" He trailed off as he pulled out several pages that were folded together and handed them to Yugi.

Yugi opened them and started reading, eyes widening as he read several beginnings of letters to Yami from his father, full of apologies for throwing him out and treating him terribly over the years. For not accepting his sexuality or Mana and making him feel like he couldn't do anything correctly. All of them ended in odd places and had several sentences scratched out, and a few were even blacked out entirely.

"Malik found them in his desk and snuck them in the file. She told me today if she could have heard anything like that from her father...their relationship was so much worse but...if they could have come to understand each other...but she can't because he's dead…" Yami kept trailing off. Yugi realized how vulnerable he was in that moment, and how hard this was going to be for him.

"Of course I'll go with you." Yugi said, reaching out a hand to touch Yami's cheek.

"Thank you." Yami clasped his hand and held it there, closing his eyes. "I know I put up a pretty good front, but I can't just play this off. I'm really nervous. Honestly, I'm scared to go back there. I swore I wouldn't the day he threw me out. I just need to know if he means it."

"Don't worry about being confident. Just do your best. If he really does mean it, things will be better for you both. You clearly want him to care, and he says he does. We'll give him a chance and if he doesn't...well, I'll be right there with you." Yugi said, hoping he was saying the right things.

Yami looked at him for a moment, a tired smile on his face. "You're amazing. Thank you, Yugi. I don't know if I've told you this yet, but I'm very happy you moved here."

"Me too." Yugi agreed, before he leaned in and kissed him for a long moment. It wasn't passionate or intense, just affectionate and comforting. He pulled away after a moment and asked, "When are we going to do this?"

"Tomorrow." Yami answered, swinging their intertwined hands between them.

Tomorrow. Yugi finally felt his nerves hit him, but he steeled up against them. He could do this. He would be strong, for both of their sakes.

He just hoped he knew what he was getting into.

 **"Grown Woman" and "7/11" are by Beyoncé, "Pass That Dutch" is by Missy Elliot, and "Fergalicious" is by Fergie. I'll update again soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi was standing outside of a mansion, holding Yami's hand tightly. Yami had just explained that he hadn't been back to this house in almost eight years. "I was hoping I'd be less nervous once I was here." Yami said, squeezing Yugi's hand.

Yugi didn't know what to say to him. He wanted to tell him it'd be fine, that he had nothing to worry about, but knew that wasn't necessarily true. "You can do this." He ended up saying.

Yami sighed. "I can. I can do this. Fuck, I have no idea why he got this house for just the two of us. It's so intimidating."

Yugi nodded as he looked up at it. It was entirely brick with large columns in the front and open face terraces running along the second floor. It was beautiful, but definitely intimidating. They were standing just beyond a large fountain in the front yard, in front of several steps leading to the door.

"Are you ready?" Yugi asked him, wanting to stop making him more nervous by standing there looking at the place.

"As I'll ever be." Yami said, and he lead Yugi up the steps, and pressed the doorbell. They heard it ring loudly inside.

They stood together, still holding hands, for almost a full minute before the door finally opened. "Good Even- oh. H-hello, Atem." A very startled butler said.

Yugi turned to give him a confused look. "Atem?"

"Dammit. This was a bad idea. Let's just g-" Yami had turned, making to leave.

"Yami?" A new voice said, and they turned back to see Mai Valentine standing behind the butler, moving to open the door wider.

"Mai? What are you doing here?" Yami asked, sounding very confused.

"I was having dinner with your father, discussing the company. What are you doing here?" She asked him, also very confused.

"I...came to talk to him." Yami explained awkwardly.

Mai's face paled. "Oh god, you know he's sick. Who told you?"

"No one told me. I...found out on accident." He said, clearly trying to protect Malik as his source. She hadn't exactly obtained the information legally. "How do you know?" He asked her.

"I was his assistant for four years before I was the head of PR. I made his appointments. I was the first person he told" Mai explained sadly. "It should have been you."

Yami closed his eyes. "You're not wrong about that."

"I'm going to be very blunt before I let you in and ask what else you know." Mai was looking at him blankly.

"Just that Aknadin's been the one pulling the strings and not him." Yami said simply.

She looked relieved to hear this. "Okay, good. If you already know that I don't have to waste precious time proving it's true. He's been trying to tell you for years, Yami."

"I know. We've both hurt each other a lot in the past decade or so." Yami sighed.

"Would you like to come in, then?" She asked, opening the door wider.

"Yes. Wait. Before I do - why were you and Valon at Kaiba Corp. the other day?" Yami asked, suddenly suspicious again. Yugi looked at her, gauging her reaction.

She rolled her eyes. "Other than so he could get the crap kicked out of him? Aknadin sent us. He wanted us to try and spy on Malik and Ryou. The only thing we found out is Malik is pretty good at throwing a punch and she and Ryou are both good at threats. Nothing particularly useful, unless Valon wants to admit he got beaten by a girl, or if Aknamkanon felt like getting a restraining order. Valon doesn't, and Aknamkanon knows their bark is worse than their bite. Those crazy bitches." Mai rolled her eyes. "Will you come in now?"

"Lead the way." He said, and the two stepped inside, Yugi gaping at the foyer before being tugged lightly down the hall after Mai.

"Who's this?" She asked, and Yugi realized that they'd never formally met, he just knew her because Malik had backhanded her the last time he'd seen her. She still had a thin line running across her cheek from one of Malik's rings.

"This is Yugi. He's my…" Yami trailed off, looking at Yugi for a moment, "I want to say boyfriend, but I haven't actually asked if that's okay…" He trailed off, looking hopeful.

"You're adorable." Yugi said to him with a smile.

Yami flushed a bit at that. "I - ah...you…"

Yugi looked at Mai with a smile. "I'm Yugi. His boyfriend, now that he's asked so nicely." He teased as he extended the hand Yami wasn't currently crushing out to her.

"Nice to meet you." She said, watching them with an amused smile.

"You mean it?" Yami asked, and Yugi looked over at him. He was looking at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. It made Yugi's heart hurt a little.

"Of course I do. I'd love to keep going out with you. I've never felt connected to anyone like I have you." Yugi told him sincerely.

Yami tugged on his arm to pull him closer, putting his hand on his cheek and kissing him enthusiastically. Yugi giggled for a second before kissing him back.

"As cute as this is, my dinner is getting cold." Mai said dryly, and they pulled apart after a moment.

Yugi felt dazed, mostly because he never imagined someone liking him enough to kiss him like that, or him reciprocating it so strongly. He wondered if he should be questioning falling for him so quickly - the way the butler had addressed him meant Yami probably wasn't his name, which he could add to the growing list of things Yami hadn't been upfront with him about, but Yugi knew most people in the music industry had changed their names. That, and if Yami had spent their first date showing Yugi every skeleton in his closet, it would have been overwhelming. It wasn't like he'd told Yami everything yet either. He determined he honestly didn't care if he was falling too fast for Yami. He couldn't help how he felt.

They walked into a large dining room, where Aknamkanon was sitting alone, looking through stacks of paper while waiting for Mai. He looked up when they entered the room, his expression dropping when he saw Yami. "You're...here…" Aknamkanon said, sounding surprised.

"Hello." Yami said simply, seeming to freeze up for a moment. Yugi gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Aknamkanon stood and moved toward them quickly, but started coughing hard almost halfway towards them. Mai rushed forward and grabbed a cup of water off the table, holding it out to him. He accepted it gratefully and drank a bit of it. Yugi glanced over at Yami, who looked extremely pale.

"Hello, son. Yugi." He said almost as an afterthought once he'd finally stopped coughing.

Yami stood there for a moment, looking lost. Yugi realized he must have been horrified to see his father in this state. He hadn't even known he was ill until two days ago, so it wasn't surprising that Yami was caught off guard. "Yami…" Yugi said quietly, and Yami looked at him, seeming to remember why he was there.

"Hi...father." Yami said awkwardly. Aknamkanon's expression was conflicted.

"I...can't begin to tell you how awful I feel for what I did to you. Especially when I saw those pictures...I will never be able to make it up to you. Or Mana. She took better care of you than I could have imagined. I wanted to take everything back the second you were out the door, but I was too much of a coward. I'm sorry I didn't accept you in the first place. I should have told you I was happy for you and helped you pave your way in this world, and instead, I've missed so many years with you. Eight years, almost nine. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. It's unforgivable. I understand if your feelings haven't changed at all. I don't deserve it." Aknamkanon said, and Yugi found that he believed what he was saying to Yami.

The last time he'd seen Aknamkanon, they had thought he had been there to taunt them, but he'd been screamed at by Yami for who knows how long, and now that they knew he was sick, they knew why he'd actually been there that day. The timing had been horrible, but now that they knew he hadn't been involved in any of the scheming his company had been doing, it made sense that he'd been trying to tell his son something important.

Yami had been standing there, staring at his father for a long moment, trying to see if his father could have any ulterior motives, making sure he was being sincere, but he seemed to have come to the same conclusion Yugi had. He took a deep breath. "I can't just forgive you."

Aknamkanon's face fell further, and he looked accepting of this, but also devastated. Yami continued, "I'd like to, though. It's going to take time, but...I want to get to know you again. I'd like you back in my life. Up until that day, you hadn't given me a reason to resent you. So, I can't just forgive you, but...I want to get there. I want to be your son again. We need to work on it, though. We've said some horrible things to one another over the years. I've said some horrible things..." Yami was shaking as he trailed off, and Yugi started rubbing his arm lightly with the hand he wasn't grasping tightly. Aknamkanon looked shocked, taking a moment before responding.

"I have no reason to expect you to forgive me instantly. Or even like me. I would like the opportunity to try, though. I want to deserve being your dad. I'm afraid I have a lot of work ahead of me, but...I want you back, too." Aknamkanon said, his eyes watery.

Yami released Yugi's hand and stepped toward Aknamkanon slowly. He wrapped his arms around his father's waist, and Yugi saw his shoulders shaking. Aknamkanon held his son back tightly, also crying. They stood like that for a while, holding each other and crying for what seemed like an hour but was really only a minute or so. It made Yugi happy and sad at the same time.

Yami was biting his lip. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I should have realized something was wrong ages ago...but I stopped paying attention…"

"It's okay, Atem." His father repeating his name confirmed for Yugi that he hadn't been mistaken earlier. Atem. He'd have to ask him about it later.

"It isn't. I should have known! You may have thrown me out-" Aknamkanon flinched at that, "but you've never treated anyone who works for you the way I've heard has been happening for years. To hear it's all because of Aknadin…" Yami trailed off.

Aknamkanon laughed humorously. "That was because I refused to leave him the company in my will. I didn't realize it at first, but he decided if he couldn't have it, he'd just tear it down. Seems he's had some help with that, if that fire yesterday was any indication."

Yami started to say, "Actually, that was-" but Aknamkanon cut him off. "If you know what actually happened, don't tell me. I'd rather it be burned to the ground than driven into it by Aknadin. It's harder for him if he doesn't have a base to work from."

"Why not have the board vote him out?" Yugi piped up, hoping that was the right question to ask.

Mai sighed, "Normally, we would, but he's paid them off using the money from ripping everyone else off. It's a vicious cycle."

"Oh." Yami took a moment to process that. "Who did you leave the company to that it made him that upset?"

"You. It was always yours." Aknamkanon smiled sadly.

"Oh." Yami said again, this time in surprise. He stared at his father for a long moment, processing his words. "Really?"

"It was supposed to be. I had every intention of giving it to you - I still do, if we can fix it first. That's part of why Mai's here." Aknamkanon finally acknowledged the woman again for the first time since they'd entered the room. She looked up from her dinner plate that she'd been paying very close attention to throughout the entire exchange to smile at them.

Yami nodded at that. "Well I'll...help however I can. What can I do?"

"Sit and eat with us." His father said, and they all gathered at the overly large table. Once they were all seated, Aknamkanon looked between Yami and Yugi, not needing an introduction after their awkward first encounter. "Are you two…?" He trailed off his question.

"Together? Yes. Let me actually introduce you - the other day doesn't count. Father, this is my boyfriend, Yugi. Yugi, this is my father, Aknamkanon." Yami gestured between the two, and Yugi extended his hand to Aknamkanon. If he was willing to try, then Yugi would too.

"Nice to actually meet you." He said, and they shook hands.

"Likewise. I'm...happy for you both." Aknamkanon said, awkwardly but sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm happy he hasn't decided to run screaming back to Japan yet." Yami said, half joking, but also honestly. He had been sure that when Yugi had found out about the darker parts of his past, and on the news of all places, that their newfound relationship was over before it could get off the ground. Yugi had surprised him, though.

"I'm not going anywhere." Yugi smiled sweetly at him.

"That's...unexpected, but admirable. I'm glad to see you've found someone who likes you so much, Atem." His father smiled at them.

"You're adorable together." Mai complimented them, "I hate to kill the moment, too, but we need to get to planning though. These," she gestured to the files stacked on the table, "Are a list of every artist signed through us, and each one has a list in it of exactly how Aknadin tried to screw us over by wronging them."

Yugi grabbed a particularly large file that was sitting on the table in front of him. He realized it was Malik's, and opened it curiously. Inside, there was a list of her basic information, her discography, her sales, and her team. There were various notes from different sessions and her tour - they'd never had problems with her, her list of things she needed in her dressing room was actually reasonable (Yugi found himself memorizing it quickly for future reference), and there were over two pages of people who wanted to work with her.

Yugi pulled his legs up into his chair to get more comfortable as he kept reading. Thus far, he wasn't seeing the logic in profiting off of her from the world's most ridiculous contract. He picked up Ryou's file, which he'd spotted under Malik's when he'd picked it up, skimming through it quickly before deciding to speak. "May I...ask a question?" Yugi said timidly, and they all looked over at him.

"Of course," Aknamkanon said curiously.

"What was the point in signing Malik to that terrible contract? I'm looking at this and from a business standpoint it just doesn't make sense. She was projected to make way more than she had, and even the album that leaked didn't flop. Comparing hers and Ryou's, they both made more on tour than in album sales anyway. It just doesn't seem logical."

Aknamkanon was silent for a moment. "You're quite intelligent." He said finally.

"Thank you." Yugi said with a nod, awaiting an actual answer.

"Yugi has a business degree and speaks three languages. He's very clever." Yami bragged, smiling fondly at him. Yugi returned the look.

"That's interesting. We'll talk more about that later, I'd like to learn more about you, Yugi. As for Malik...well…" He sighed. "Did you happen to read the back pages?"

Yugi shook his head before flipping to the final four pages stapled together in the back. It was a list of her team, each of whom had been asked how they liked working for Malik and for Sennen Records in a survey. They all liked their compensation and benefits, but all had similar complaints: if she asked for something, they were compelled to do it without complaint. When asked what that meant, they all had the same strange answer: "I just couldn't say no and it scares me." When asked why they were scared, almost none of them had an explanation, except one of her dancers, who had said that one time she had told her to "go play in traffic" and the girl had found herself walking out into it. Yugi practically dropped the file as he read it, before scanning it five more times to make sure he'd read it correctly.

Yugi looked at Yami, who had leaned over to read along. He looked oddly pale. "That's...oh shit." Yami cursed, sounding upset.

Aknamkanon spoke, knowing what they'd just read, "She wasn't hurt. It was 3:30 AM in Times Square and Malik yanked her back out of the road immediately. She was completely mortified, and the girl was...well, angry is putting it mildly. Her assistant said she screamed at her for almost fifteen minutes after they got back inside. I believe Malik gave her a huge sum of money and is taking care of all of her living expenses, but she did that herself, so I don't fully know the details. The fact that she did that told me there was something suspicious going on. I wanted to have a psych evaluation done, and after everything I've heard over the last week I still think it's a good idea," he side eyed Yami, who was biting his lip and looking both guilty and upset, "but Aknadin decided to drop her instead. I don't know what he thought that was going to do, but it's properly blown up in his face now."

Yugi nodded as he mulled all the new information over. It would explain why he didn't end up having to actually perform assistant duties and why he hadn't seen other members of her team at all - if she really was that freaked out, it made sense that she would be keeping them at arm's length, sticking close to her friends.

"Ryou had similar issues in her last few months with her team. They claimed they were being haunted by ghosts for being near her and her 'love of the occult.' Turns out they were also being paid to say that, which is why we were so skeptical when everything happened with Malik. None of it really makes sense, but no one's really been suspicious enough to look into it, and it seems like Aknadin's paid off anyone he can get to lie for him or stay silent. It's...well, I don't really get what he's up to. At all." Mai said, resting her head on her hand. "He technically paid me off, too, but I started being a double agent once I realized what was happening. Told Aknamkanon everything. That's when we started discovering all of this. We have no idea how to fix it."

They all sat in silence for a moment. Yami rested his face in his hands. "I hate magic." He muttered, just loud enough that Yugi could hear. then he said, a bit louder, "The fact that Aknadin would sink them all to the ground if he can't have the company...he has to go. That's the only way you can fix this."

"It's more than that. He has to be out, but I can't be the head of the company anymore. The artists won't trust me, not that I blame them. This went on for too long." Aknamkanon said sadly. "There is someone they would trust, though."

"Who? Let's call them." Yami said, obviously ready to get to work. Yugi admired him for being so willing to help his father. He had almost been skeptical of Aknamkanon's good intentions, but he hadn't given him a reason to be this evening, and even if he had, Yugi trusted Mai. She'd been up front with them the entire time, and she had been the time he'd eavesdropped on her when she and Valon had snuck into Kaiba Corp. too. She'd been telling him the whole time it was a horrible idea.

"I was thinking you." Aknamkanon said bluntly. Yami's jaw dropped.

"I think I misheard you." Yami murmured, shocked.

"You didn't. You should do it. Anyone in that pile would trust you. Malik and Ryou went to you immediately. You're a great leader. You need a little guidance still, but you know how to run this company. You can fix this." Aknamkanon said, before he started coughing violently.

"Are you okay?" Yami half stood up, concerned.

He took a large drink of water before responding. "I'll be okay. This is why I think you need to do it though. I haven't been able to for a long time, and Aknadin can't either. You definitely can though. You're a great producer, and you care about your artists. You can do it, if you want it. Plenty of people want to work with you and see what you can do."

"I think it's more about working with Kaiba Corp. than working with me." Yami pointed out.

"And who did Kaiba go searching for to help create a record label in the first place?" Aknamkanon said with finality.

Yami sat in silence, before looking over at Yugi wide eyed. Yugi was also shocked. He knew Aknamkanon was right. They hadn't come here to take the company from him, but it was the best solution. Yugi reached out and took his hand. Whatever he chose to do, Yugi had decided he'd be right there, helping him through whatever he needed. Yami just blinked at him for a moment, processing everything.

Mai clapped her hands together to break the silence. "Who wants dessert?"

Yami and Yugi were walking inside of Kaiba Corp., Yami's arm around his shoulders, and Yugi's arm around his waist. Yugi could feel the warmth radiating from Yami's body as the moved, hips and legs occasionally brushing together as they walked. They stepped onto the elevator together, and Yami pressed the button for his floor before turning to face Yugi, one hand on his cheek and the other on his hip.

"Thank you." Yami said, his voice full of emotion.

"Of course. I'm here for you. Always." Yugi said, smiling at him.

He'd never realized they were both the same height. It made it convenient when Yami leaned in and kissed him fiercely, his hand curling around Yugi's neck. He squeaked before kissing him back with just as must emotion, lacing his fingers into Yami's hair. They continued kissing passionately until the elevator dinged, and they pulled apart, both breathless. "I...uh...actually meant to use more words but I ended up not doing that. You're perfect." Yami said awkwardly, and Yugi flushed.

"I don't know about that." He responded, before Yami pulled him off of the elevator and went to kiss him again, but stopped, both of them making eye contact and realizing they weren't alone, and were about to miss The Best Thing They'd Ever See.

Malik was standing on the couch facing away from them, wearing an eggplant colored fringe shawl, half full wine goblet in hand and music blaring as she sang along loudly with it. "SO HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE! I MUST'VE CALLED A THOUSAND TIIIIIIIIIIIIMES!"

Yami and Yugi stood together, Yami's hands on Yugi's cheeks and his on Yami's waist, both staring at her, their faces inches apart, both gaping at the scene before them. As the song ended, she finished her glass of wine, turning as she plopped back down onto the couch and finally noticed them. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked, her voice nervous.

"Long enough. Why don't you sing like that for me in the studio?" Yami asked her, still not moving away from Yugi.

"I'm never drunk enough. Why are you standing like that?" She asked them, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I still have every intention of doing this." Yami kissed him again, softly and sensually before they pulled apart again, Yugi smiling up at him.

Malik popped her tongue loudly. "Fucking couples."

"Something wrong?" Yugi asked her.

"No. Not really. I'm annoying even myself." She said, picking up the wine bottle on the table and refilling her glass.

"That sounds like something's wrong." Yugi said, walking over to her and sitting beside her. Yami leaned over the back of the couch near them both.

She sighed, taking a moment before speaking, "...I don't even know where to start. There is so much happening in my head and I can't process it all."

"Just start with whatever comes to mind first. Run through it all." Yugi encouraged. He knew they should probably be confronting her about the dancer, but upsetting her further wasn't going to help them solve anything.

She ran a hand through her hair. "I guess it's sort of just hitting me how hard this last year has been, and I've reacted to all of it horribly. Every time something bad happens, it's like I go out of my way to make it worse. Like, when Valon was here the other day. I could have just let security escort him out, but I totally overreacted instead. With your dad, too. I need some serious anger management help." She was staring down at the floor like she was hoping it would swallow her up.

"If that's something you'd like to look into, we'll work on finding someone to help you." Yami said, his voice reassuring.

She nodded slowly. "There's other things too. I still can't sleep with the lights off. I'm still pissed Bakura called me stupid. That was a slap in the face I wasn't expecting."

Yugi felt a wave of sympathy. "Have you talked to him since? It seemed like he regretted it the second he said it."

Malik shrugged. "He doesn't say things he doesn't mean. He's deliberate like that."

Yami scoffed. "You're intelligent, whether he sees that or not. Far more considerate, too. He'd never have snagged those files for me because they don't have value. Don't let him get to you."

She shook her head, "It wasn't the best idea, he wasn't wrong about that. I know he technically said it was a stupid idea, and not that I was stupid, but...I've been feeling pretty pathetic lately. I also...ah…" She bit her lip, looking nervous.

"You what?" Yugi put a hand on her knee, trying to be as encouraging as he could.

She took a deep breath. "A little over two months ago, I was helping Isis clean out a box of artifacts. It had a few of the Millennium Items in it, including...the rod…" She swallowed as she paused, "I picked it up to hand it to her and it got really warm, started glowing. I dropped it immediately, but...I think I might have absorbed some of the magic, somehow. Mana explained to me how it happens once a long time ago but it didn't really make sense to me. Anyway, there was an incident after…"

Yugi and Yami made eye contact, both knowing where this was going. "The dancer…" Yami murmured, and she whipped her head around to stare at him.

"How do you know about that?" She asked.

"Aknamkanon told us what he could. What happened?" Yami asked her.

Malik pulled her legs up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around them. "We were just joking around, and she said something about me 'having a lot of work done,' like plastic surgery, so I told her to go play in traffic, and she just...started walking toward the street. I pulled her back immediately, because obviously _I was not being serious_ ," she stressed, "but she wouldn't speak to me or even look at me again. Except to tell me that I was crazy, and...other horrible things. Said she was going to sue me for everything I had, so I offered to give her a portion up front and then pay her rent for her indefinitely. She took it immediately - goes to show how highly money is valued."

"That's...awful." Yugi said awkwardly. He wasn't sure what part of the story he was referring to.

Malik laughed, the sound devoid of emotion. "I'm just glad I didn't tell her to drink a bottle of bleach or something. At least I could stop her from walking into the road."

Yami sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "I seriously hate magic. This is bad, Malik. Why didn't you say anything sooner? We could have had Mana check you for magic, set you up with someone to talk to so you weren't torturing yourself all day-"

"I felt like I deserved it. I still kind of do, but at the same time, I'm really tired of feeling that way. It's draining." She rested her forehead on her knees. Yugi reached out and tentatively rubbed her shoulder in small circles, emitting a small squeak when she leaned over so she was tucked under his arm, her head resting on his chest.

He glanced over at Yami, who was giving him a look that said, "I have no idea what to say next help please." Yugi looked down at the top of her head. She looked positively miserable.

Yugi thought for a moment before speaking. "I...think you're maybe being a bit hard on yourself. From what I've seen, magic works very differently than it does in books and movies. You couldn't have known how it was going to happen-"

She cut him off, "Except I did. I've been around the Millennium Rod practically my whole life. I've...used it before. It's horrible. No one should have access to it. I can't be entirely blameless when I know what it does."

"Did you know what was going to happen when you said that to her? Was it intentional?" Yugi asked, determined to make his point.

"No." She replied quietly.

"Then it wasn't entirely your fault. Accidents happen, Malik. Freak accidents especially. Anyone who thinks everything is intentional is in for a long, skeptical life. Some things are deliberate, and some people are terrible. You're not one of them. I do think you're right about maybe talking to a therapist, and I think Mana should definitely check you for magic, or whatever it was Yami said." Yugi said, trying to keep his tone reassuring.

"I think maybe you should take a break from music too." Yami said sadly. She sat up at that, clearly ready to argue, but he held up a hand. "You've been making some brilliant songs lately, but it's not worth your health. Maybe another producer would tell you differently, but I really think you should take some time and work on yourself. Especially if you're this miserable. Also...OSIRIS!" Yami called loudly, and the dog slowly walked out from Malik's room, where he'd probably been sleeping on her bed. "You're supposed to sense sadness, you sleepy lazy pup! Get her!" He said, enthusiastically to get the dog motivated.

Osiris jumped up on the couch, sniffing Malik's face for a second before licking her several times. She laughed and scratched at his fun under his purple bandana. "Hi, pup. Thank you. I love you, too." She giggled as he stood on her legs to get a better angle and lick her even more.

Yugi smiled warmly over at Yami. He'd managed to cheer her up significantly just by calling her dog into the room.

"I think you're right, Yami." She said quietly as the dog settled himself, half in her lap and half on the couch. She scratched behind his ears.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that." Yami said, a large grin on his face as he cupped a hand behind his ear.

"I said you're a jackass and I don't know why Yugi's with you." She grinned at him as she picked up a throw pillow from the couch and tossed it at him. He caught it easily. "Seriously, though. I think I want to try this your way."

Yugi nodded at her. "If you end up hating it, you can always try something different. We want to help you however we can."

She blinked at him a few times. "You're far too kind to me."

"I don't believe in 'too kind.' The world needs far more kindness and understanding and less judgement." He said to her.

She leaned against him again. "I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too." He agreed, playing with her hair in a way he hoped was comforting.

They sat like that for almost a minute before she sat up quickly. "I totally forgot to ask how everything went! We were talking about me that whole time! I'm so-"

"No, it's fine. We wanted to talk to you first anyway. Don't fret." Yugi tried to soothe her. She leaned against him once more.

"Well…" Yami yawned for a long moment, "Other than being completely exhausting, it went as well as it could have gone. He's definitely sick, much sicker than I realized. I also know why Aknadin has been doing all of these ridiculous things so the company would fail. He's upset my father didn't leave him the company."

"That's bullshit." Malik said. "But...it went well? You talked about...everything?"

"He said he regretted throwing me out the second I was out the door. Said he was a coward and he was horrified I had it so hard as a result. We're...getting there. We're already much better than we were a week ago just because we talked." Yami explained.

Malik nodded. "That's good. I'm happy for you." She sounded sad as she said it. Yugi squeezed her shoulder sympathetically.

Yami stretched, glancing at the clock. "It's only 11? Damn. I'm so tired and so hungry." His stomach rumbled to confirm this. "I think I want to go grab pizza. Would you two like to come?"

"Sure." Malik said, sitting up. Yugi nodded at him as well, standing to stretch. He hadn't realized how tired he was until this moment.

The elevator dinged loudly, and they all looked over, surprised to see Bakura, holding a bouquet of mismatched flowers haphazardly wrapped together with a single piece of purple tissue paper. "Oh. I thought you'd be alone." He addressed Malik, looking horrified to have an audience.

"They were just leaving." She said quickly, "Are those…?"

"I didn't buy them, I just picked them at the park and from people's houses." Bakura said, clearly trying to downplay their meaning.

"That's so not legal." Yami muttered, and Yugi swatted his arm with a grin.

"Weren't you leaving?" Bakura snapped at them.

Yami rolled his eyes, taking Yugi's hand and walking into the elevator. "We'll talk to you later, Malik."

She waved at them as she walked slowly toward Bakura. "These are for me? They're beautiful, wherever you got them." She asked. They heard him say, "Like you. I'm...sorry." And saw her look at him in surprise before the doors slid closed.

"Thank all the gods he's apologizing now. I was going to try and make him do it if he didn't and that would have gone horribly." Yami sighed. "And thank you for guiding the conversation in there. I had no idea what to say that wouldn't freak her out more, which wouldn't have helped anyone."

Yugi smiled at him. "Of course. I hope it works out. She seemed absolutely miserable."

"I know." Yami said sadly. "I feel horrible I didn't notice anything was off with her sooner. That reminds me-" he pulled out his phone and started typing quickly. "Already giving Mana a heads up...and I'm going to have Joey get his sister here as soon as possible."

"Why his sister?" Yugi asked.

"She's a therapist. She's smart and I trust her. Hopefully Malik will feel similarly." Yami explained as he finished typing and placed his phone in his pocket.

Yugi remembered what he'd been wanting to ask Yami about, and now that they had a moment alone, he finally asked, "Is Atem your real name?"

Yami froze. "Yes. I stopped going by that after he threw me out."

"How did you end up going by the Japanese word for darkness? I hadn't thought to question it until earlier tonight, but I have this feeling there's a great story behind it." Yugi said with a large smile.

"It's actually pretty dull. Mana and I were just really drunk and talking about Yin Yangs, and then we weren't sure where they derived from, and we ended up googling a bunch of different things about them, and somehow found Yami. We were exceptionally drunk, so I don't remember exactly how we got there. I just remember thinking it sounded right." Yami said as they walked hand in hand out of Kaiba Corp. and down the street.

"That sounds like something you two would do." Yugi said, and Yami bumped his hip.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" He asked, his tone light.

"Never." Yugi replied, just as happily.

"I suggested pizza because Malik was with us, but now that she's not...how do you feel about hamburgers?" Yami asked him.

"They're probably my favorite food on this planet." He said enthusiastically.

"Really? That's awesome." Yami laughed as he lead him down the street. "I know this great place down here, you're going to love it."

Yugi smiled warmly at him, affection flooding his being. He was so glad things had worked out so well for him today. It wasn't perfect, but they were working on it. He had a good feeling about the coming weeks. As long as they worked together, they could do anything.

 **"Hello" is by Adele. More to come soon!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've been very distracted by Pokemon Go (who hasn't though). That being said, this is the next chapter. I'll update again soon!**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

Yugi stepped out of the elevator, holding two trays full of drinks. It was about nine in the morning, and he was hoping to get the day off to a good start for everyone. He spotted Mana and Mahad talking with Joey over on one of the couches. "Hey, Yug!" Joey called when he spotted him. "What's going on, man?"

"Nothing too exciting yet. I brought everyone coffee. I figured we should get this day started right." Yugi said, smiling brightly as he set both trays on the coffee table.

"You are an angel, Yugi." Mana said to him as she accepted her cup from him. "You didn't even have to ask, you remembered exactly how I like it."

He nodded. "I try not to have to be told more than once. I brought you both regular coffees, too," he said, addressing Mahad and Joey, "there's sugar and cream in the middle section if you need it."

"Seriously? You're awesome, man." Joey said as he took his and emptied six packets of sugar into it.

"Thank you, Yugi. I haven't had coffee in...I don't remember the last time I had coffee." Mahad said, shooting Joey a disdainful look before taking a sip.

"No problem." Yugi smiled at him. "Where's everyone else?"

"Ryou's downstairs with Malik - they'll both be back up here soon. Yami is still sleeping, I think." Mana answered him. "I think I hear Malik and Ryou now, actually."

She was right - their voices were echoing up the stairwell announcing their arrival. When they entered the room, they seemed to be having a serious discussion. "Yugi brought coffee." Mana called over to them, and they both quickly made their way over to them.

"He actually brought me tea because he knows me so well." Ryou beamed at him. "Seriously, thank you so much, Yugi."

Malik took a sip of her drinking before speaking. "It's like you knew I wanted this when I woke up this morning."

"I thought you might." He said. "Did you have your hair cut?" He asked her, noticing that her long blonde hair now barely reached beyond her shoulders.

She nodded, a pleased smile forming on her face. "Ryou cut it for me. It looks great, doesn't it?"

They all agreed unanimously, making Ryou beam with pride. "What were you two discussing so seriously? Not hair I hope." Mana asked, raising a brow at the two other girls.

Ryou sighed. "Life. Work. Men." She said ominously.

Joey backed away, appearing awkward, "Well, my sister is flying into town in an hour or so, so I'm just going to go…" He turned and took off down the stairs.

Ryou looked at Mahad. "Are you about to go running too?"

Mahad scoffed, "Please. I am not afraid of women talking. I used to have to listen to Mana talk about Yami and her insecurities and secrets for hours and not be able to respond, offer comfort, or let her know she wasn't just talking to a reptile that couldn't understand her. So no, I'm not running, thank you." He crossed his legs and sat back as if to prove a point.

Mana shook her head and giggled. "Anyway, what were you saying?" She asked the two other girls.

"Actually, before we get into that, can you check me now?" Malik asked, and Mana sprung to her feet.

"Yes, I totally forgot. Here, sit down. I need to get my flowers." Mana said before going to her room, returning not long after with a vase of almost dead pink roses.

"How are those still alive? I used to think you replenished them yourself." Ryou asked. Yugi shot her a confused look. "She's legitimately had those same roses the whole time I've known her. I used to think she bought new ones when the old ones wilted but I realized after a while that this particular one," she pointed out one on the very edge that's stem was so short it didn't touch the water in inside the case, "was always there."

Mana set them down on the coffee table. "They're the ones Yami gave me when we went to prom. Hold still," she told Malik before she placed her hands on her forehead and started whispering something. Wind started blowing, and Yugi gaped as Malik seemed to start glowing, emitting an almost tangible energy. After a moment, the glowing receded from her, and Mana turned to her flowers, continuing to chant as she touched them. Yugi was pretty sure his jaw hit the floor as they came fully back to life, looking fresh and healthy. Mana stopped chanting, and the wind ceased.

"Holy shit." Ryou said from beside him, and he nodded. "What she said."

Mana turned back to Malik. "You're all set now. That shouldn't happen again."

Malik looked drained, which seemed appropriate since that was exactly what had just happened to her. "Thank you." She said, as if in a daze.

"It definitely was unintentional then." Yugi said, and Mana agreed.

"Yeah, that shouldn't have happened. You also should have told me you might have absorbed magic. That took literally no effort on my part." Mana scolded.

Malik stared down at her hands. "I know." She sounded ashamed.

Mana's expression softened. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to be so hard on yourself." Malik shrugged.

They all sat in silence for a moment before Yugi turned to Ryou. "You were saying something about life and work and men earlier…?"

"I was." Ryou jumped on the opportunity to break the tension in the room. "I need to know if I'm totally wrong about this, so be honest with me." They all nodded at her. "If you're on your first date with a guy, you should offer to pay for at least your half, and not totally expect the man to pay for everything, especially when you're a very successful celebrity. Or is that insane?"

Mana pursed her lips and crossed her legs, thinking. "I mean, yeah, it's only polite. I don't think you should ever go out to eat if you can't afford to pay for it yourself. And tip. Tipping is important."

Mahad frowned. "He's supposed to pay for it though, right? Otherwise chivalry is dead."

Malik let out a bark of laughter. "Chivalry can eat my entire ass."

"Thank you!" Ryou half yelled from where she was sitting. "Like, if you're going to treat anyone really well, you don't do it because a centuries old concept made you, you should do it because you want to!"

Yugi spoke up, "I agree with you. I think that's almost part of the beauty of same sex relationships, because that expectation is sort of gone. Yami and I have been switching off who pays. He bought everything on our first date, and I bought the burgers last night."

"That's nice, actually. You get to treat each other." Mahad said.

"See, I wish Marik had felt that way last night. He got so mad I even offered to pay for half of it, and we ended up fighting about it the rest of the night." Ryou said, sounding annoyed.

"That's horrible!" Yugi exclaimed, and she nodded.

Mana narrowed her eyes at her. "How did you get that huge hickey on your throat then?"

Ryou blushed, putting a hand over the incriminating spot. "We ended up making out. Amongst other things." They all sat in silence for a moment, not entirely sure how to respond that statement.

"That's great." Yugi finally said, and they all chuckled at how casually he said it.

"I also think I'm going to take a hiatus from music." Ryou added, and they gasped.

"What? No!" Yugi protested.

"That was what I said." Malik agreed.

Ryou sighed. "I understand why you feel that way, I do. I just haven't wanted to do anything other than write songs, and anything I do write I don't particularly like. I've been sending out everything I've been working on to other people."

"Really? Any takers?" Mana asked, sounding curious.

"Several. Into You got picked up so fast. Literally the same day I sent it." Ryou said.

"That's awesome!" Mana said with enthusiasm, "Do you want to keep songwriting for a while, or is there something else you want to do?"

Ryou grinned. "I actually have an offer for a TV show. One I really don't think I want to say no to."

"What show?" Yugi asked, wondering what could possibly tear his favorite singer from the stage.

"American Horror Story. I get to play a villain, which I'm super excited about. I'm going to call Ryan in a bit and say yes." She said, and Mana and Mahad both made excited sounds.

"No way? Seriously? Yami and I watch that show together all the time!" Mana clapped enthusiastically.

"And I would watch it from inside my tank and wish I could see it better. That's great, Ryou." Mahad congratulated her.

Ryou was beaming. "I'm very excited about it. I think it's going to be great for me."

"As long as you're happy." Yugi said, feeling a twinge of sadness despite being happy for his friend. If she was excited about it, he needed to be supportive.

"Where's Yami?" Malik asked, seeming to suddenly realize he wasn't there.

"He was still asleep, I think. We should wake him up soon." Mana said as she glanced at the clock.

Malik sat up from where she was cross legged on the couch, a grin forming on her face. "I have the best idea to wake him up. Do you guys have money anywhere in here?"

Mana blinked at her for a moment. "I don't even know when the last time I saw cash was, to be honest with you. I use my phone for literally everything."

"Seriously? Okay. Well…what about Monopoly money?" Malik suggested, and Mana went over to one of the closets and pulled out two different versions of Monopoly and one Game of Life. "Perfect." Malik said, scooping the money out of them and dividing it between them. "Okay, just throw that around everywhere. You'll know when to do it." Malik set up her laptop and Bluetooth speaker, carrying it with her. "Let's give him a wake up call to remember."

They slipped quietly into his room, where Yami was out cold, buried under his blankets, the very tips of his fingers and hair visible in from under the covers. Malik set her laptop down silently, pressing play and nodding at them to start throwing the play money as she jumped onto his bed and shouting, "Bitch better have my money!"

Yami sat up groggily, glancing around at them and giving Malik a look that was probably supposed to be angry and intimidating and was instead more of a "please stop this is so loud." After a moment, she muted her speaker and plopped down beside him. "Good morning!" She sing songed before he shoved her onto the floor. He held a hand out to Yugi, who accepted it only to get dragged onto the bed, Yami's arms around his waist and his head tucked under his chin. Yugi realized for the first time that Yami was shirtless, and his face started burning he was blushing so much.

"Good night and get out." Yami said, his eyes closed as he leaned back against the headboard, still holding on to Yugi.

"Yami, it's almost ten in the morning." Mana informed him, grinning at the scene before her.

"That's nice. I'm going to take five or ten minutes to recover from whatever the hell that was, and then I'll get up. Now out, all of you." He watched them all go before glancing down at Yugi. "Hi."

"Hi." Yugi replied, making eye contact with him and hoping his face wasn't still fire engine red.

"How are you? Did you sleep well?" Yami asked him, reaching up to play with Yugi's hair.

Yugi found himself settling in against Yami to get comfortable. "I did. I want to make sure everyone has a good day today. How about you?" He asked.

Yami groaned, "I did, but not for nearly long enough. Though I like waking up to your smiling face." Yugi grinned at that, and Yami returned it.

"That's not cheesy at all." Yugi teased, happiness flooding his system.

"That may be, but it doesn't make it less true." Yami nuzzled their noses together, and Yugi laughed. "Thank you again for everything yesterday. Unfortunately, I really do need to get up and shower. I'd much rather stay here with you, though."

"Some other time." Yugi kissed him on the cheek before standing, "I'll be right out in the living room when you're done. I brought you an iced caramel macchiato, because I knew if I brought you hot coffee it would be cold by the time you got around to drinking it."

"Are you saying something about my sleeping habits?" Yami asked him.

"Not at all. I'll see you soon." Yugi waved as he closed the door to Yami's room.

He noticed Mana and Mahad sitting on the couch and was about to join them when he heard what they were talking about. "-not ashamed of any of it, I did what I had to so we could survive. I can barely talk about what it was like, he and I were homeless together for almost a week before I got my job and he would have started dealing. I should have realized that was why he had so much money suddenly, but I never questioned it. I didn't want it to be true, I just wanted to be successful and happy and not be terrified my next meal might not be within twenty four hours. I don't ever want that again." Mana's voice was shaking, and the way she was hunched over she looked very upset.

"Mana…" Mahad said her name quietly, and she looked at him, "You're a survivor. A fighter. You're so strong and brave, to have done that to support you both. You weren't thinking of only yourself, you wanted him to be better, too. You've told me this many times, but I've never been able to tell you how astonishing you are. You're powerful, Mana. And strong. You just haven't really let yourself accept that." Mahad said all of this to her with a fierce passion. She stared at him, uncertain of what to say to that.

Yugi backed down the hallway, feeling one hundred percent awkward and creepy. He backed up past Malik's door, which was half open. He heard her hiss, "Yugi!" And he sidestepped into her room immediately.

She was wearing a white blouse with a gold alligator pattern on it and a high waisted deep green skirt. "You look cute." He said quietly to her. She smiled brightly at him.

"Thanks. Did you see and hear all of that?" She tilted her head in the direction of the living room, closing the door to her room silently.

"Yeah. What was that about?" He asked.

"I turned on the news for like twenty seconds and there was some talk show on. They were discussing her and whether she's still a role model or if everyone should start boycotting her or something, it was dumb. Mahad asked to talk to her alone for a minute, so I came in here to eavesdrop. Were they kissing by the end?" Yugi shook his head. "Dammit, they need to just do it." Malik frowned faintly in the direction they were in.

She sat on her bed, lacing up the gladiator heels she seemed to favor. "I haven't told anyone else except Ryou this…" She started saying, and Yugi raised a brow at her, "but Bakura asked me to lunch."

Yugi was happy to hear this. "That's nice. Like a date?"

"Yes, but no. I'm still kind of annoyed with him, but I'm trying to give more second chances and not take things so personally. I also really do like him, even if he is a jackass." She smiled as she said the last sentence.

"I hope it goes well." Yugi said supportively.

"Me too." She said as she finished lacing up her shoes.

Yugi glanced around her room, taking a moment to actually look at it. He'd been in and out of it several times, but he never actually took the time to examine anything in it. Her vanity had makeup and brushes neatly arranged on it, as well as her favorite jewelry sitting in the center. On the sides of the vanity and all over the walls were pictures, some in frames and some just taped up. Yugi saw several of her and her siblings, others with Ryou and Mana or Yami. The photo he spotted most easily was of her and Rishid, both staring up at the sky in awe.

"That was the first time I ever saw snow." She said, and Yugi turned to her.

"You look like you can't believe it." He said, and she laughed.

"I couldn't, honestly. I used to be scared I'd never know any weather, just darkness and rock." She said, "Getting to share all of this with both of them...it's more than I could have asked for. I was so happy to get to experience the world with them, and that Rishid could actually feel like a part of our family. Even though I've always felt like he was...my father used to go out of his way to make sure he didn't feel included. I think part of it's because Rishid used to tell me things my father didn't want me to hear."

"Like what?" Yugi asked, hoping he wasn't being too intrusive by asking.

She sighed, leaning back slightly. "Do you remember what I told you before? About being raised like I was a boy?" He nodded. "My father used to tell me that being female or liking things my sister liked was wrong, and that I'd never be able to be the head of the family if I acted feminine, or liked things my sister liked. When he wasn't around, though...I remember Rishid would tell me that it was okay to be whoever I want, that I didn't have to be anything other than myself as long as I was happy." She was staring at the floor, smiling wistfully.

"He sounds like a great brother." Yugi said.

"He's my favorite person." She said quietly. "My rock. I don't see him nearly as much as I'd like anymore. I used to spend almost every second of the day with him and now I'm lucky if I see him once a week. I miss him." She played with the hem of her skirt, "The scars on his face...he did that himself, while I was receiving my initiation. He told me they were in honor of me. He can't hide them the way I can either. It makes me feel even more ashamed, because he's so devoted and brave publicly and I refuse to show mine. At the same time though, I know I'm allowed to feel the way I'm feeling...I'm giving myself a headache." She put a hand to her forehead.

"Hang on." Yugi walked into her bathroom and pulled out two ibuprofen and filled a small paper cup with water, handing them out to her.

"Thanks." She said, accepting them gratefully.

"I think it's amazing how much you and your brother care for each other. I wish I'd had a sibling who cared so much for me." Yugi said after she'd taken the medicine.

"Are you an only child, Yugi?" Malik asked,

"Yes." He said, sitting beside her carefully.

"I'm just now realizing that you know a lot more about me than I do about you." Malik said, leaning back on her elbows.

"There isn't much to know. My life isn't particularly interesting." Yugi said.

Malik gave him a look that said she didn't buy it. "I think you're quite interesting, Yugi. I like the way you think and you're a genuinely good person. Just tell me about yourself."

"Ah...okay." Yugi said, suddenly feeling shy. "Well, I grew up in Domino, Japan-"

"I actually know where that is." Malik cut in, "Kaiba Corp. has a branch there, right?"

Yugi nodded. "Almost everyone I knew ended up working there in some capacity. My dad was a liaison between them and the New York branch."

"That's why your English is excellent." Malik said.

"Part of it." He agreed. "Anzu helped a lot, too. She's known she wanted to be in New York since we were kids, so she started learning English at a young age. The Internet helped a lot with that, actually. We spent hours watching music videos and interviews...those were honestly some of our best times as kids."

"Do you have any siblings?" She asked, and he shook his head. "What about your mom?"

"No siblings." He answered, thinking for a moment about how best to answer the second question. "My mom is a good person, a little punctilious-"

"That's a ten dollar word if I ever heard one." Malik interrupted, and he raised a brow at her. "It means you used a fancy, expensive word." She explained, and he nodded at that. "Now tell me what punctilious means."

He laughed. "Like...someone who pays close attention to details. You picked up how to pronounce that instantly." He pointed out.

Malik grinned. "I'm really good at vocabulary and learning languages. I think I know...six? Seven languages?" She thought for a moment, counting them out: "Arabic, English, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, German. I think that's it."

"That's it? You're like a walking translator!" Yugi exclaimed, and she laughed. "How did you learn all of those? That's ridiculous!"

"When we got above ground, I was fourteen, and I didn't have any sort of a traditional education, so I couldn't just enroll in school. Ishizu managed to get a job at a museum almost immediately, so Rishid decided to homeschool me while she was at work. He didn't really know all that much more than I did, but he would go to the library and get me books about science and modern history...really anything to explain what had happened on Earth in the last 700 years or so. He also found out about Rosetta Stone and got me several. It was a pretty decent education I'd say, but to this day my math skills are rudimentary at best."

"I could help you with that if you wanted." Yugi said.

"That would actually be awesome." She replied happily.

There was a knock at the door. "Enter, ye who dare." Malik declared loudly. Yugi giggled.

"Tis I, Sir Yami, here to request the presence of my beloved, Sir Yugi." Yami bowed dramatically, and Malik grinned at him.

"I suppose you can have him. We'll discuss what we were talking about more later." She said, and Yugi nodded.

"Also, Sir Bakura is here and requesting your presence, m'lady." Yami added. Malik jumped to her feet.

"Let me grab my bag...let's go!" She darted out of the room before either of them could move.

"Someone's excited." Yami said, and Yugi chuckled in reply, taking Yami's hand and following their friend.

As they entered the living room, they were treated to the sight of Bakura gaping at Malik. "Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Malik asked, wiping her hands around her lips and chin.

Bakura continued to stare at her for a moment before saying, "No, you look...beautiful."

She blinked, letting out a quiet, "Oh," of surprise.

They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment before Yami coughed, and Bakura seemed to realize they had an audience. "Ah - let's go." He turned and made a beeline for the elevator. Malik laughed quietly before following, waving at them over her shoulder.

"Well that was adorable." Mana said from where she was curled up next to Mahad on the couch.

"You know what else is adorable? You two." Yami said as he led Yugi over to sit beside them.

"You know what else is adorable? You two." Mana teased.

"Have you guys been watching this?" Yugi asked, gesturing to the TV, which had the news on but muted.

"Oh, no, Malik turned that on earlier and we just muted it. We haven't been paying much attention to it." Mahad said, his ears a deep red color.

"It's just that-" Yugi pointed to the TV, "someone leaked Ryou's album?"

"WHAT?" Yami exclaimed from beside him, locating the remote on the floor and unmuting the TV.

"-strange things are happening in the music industry this month, as Ryou Bakura's unfinished album has been leaked online. Sources still aren't sure who is responsible for uploading it online, but it has been downloaded almost a million times already."

Yami pulled out his phone as he stood and moved across the room to fetch his laptop. "Kaiba. We have another situation. Yes, I'd like for this to stop happening too but it's not my fault!" With that, he hung up and sat back down on the couch, immediately searching for the links to the album himself.

"Who would do this? I didn't even know she was working on an album." Mana said thoughtfully.

Yami scowled. "It was definitely Aknadin, and she hasn't been since she signed with Kaiba Corp. If I'm right, this was her last album with Sennen Records, and that's why it's unfinished. They were never going to get to officially release it, so he leaked it online instead." Yami had found the website and was downloading the file himself, before opening another link to report it.

"Why are you downloading it?" Yugi asked.

"I want to know exactly what he leaked." Yami said as he typed a very long email to the website, demanding they take it down immediately.

Yugi sat back, perplexed. Why did these things keep happening? "Where does Aknadin live?" He asked.

"No idea, he always came to my father's house. Why?" Yami asked, shooting Yugi a confused look.

"Because we should probably send him a cease and desist or something. Anything." Yugi said, and Mana nodded.

"I'll look into our options. First, though…" He opened the file and started playing the first track, titled 'Aura.' They listened to the entire song in silence.

As the break down at the end faded out, they heard someone speak from behind them. "How the fuck are you listening to that right now?" Ryou asked quietly, and they turned to face her.

"Oh no, no one's told you yet…" Mana's sentence drifted off.

"Told me what?" She asked, her expression dark.

Yami bit his lip. "I think Aknadin leaked your unfinished last album online."

Ryou stared at him for a long moment. "That bastard!" She cursed. "That motherfucker! Fuck!" She dropped to her knees and crossed her arms, her expression furious, though she seemed to be trying to keep it all inside.

Mana stood and went to her friend. "I'm sorry, Ryou."

Yami's phone started ringing. "Hello, Dad." Everyone turned to him at those words. "Yes, we just heard...I figured that. What should we do? ...I'm still not sure...I'll let you know tonight. Okay. Bye." He hung up quickly and looked at them. "My father just called to tell me it was Aknadin and he thinks they should vote to make me president next week."

"That's really soon." Yugi said, suddenly feeling anxious.

"What are you talking about?" Mana asked, Ryou looking just as lost from beside her. Yami recapped the evening for them quickly. .

"He wants you to take over? But…" Mana stared off blankly at the news, "You wouldn't be my producer anymore. We'd be on opposing labels. We couldn't work together anymore."

"I know." Yami said quietly. "I'm not sure we have other options, though."

Mana walked back over to the couch, grabbing her phone and sitting before tapping it several times and putting it to her ear. "What are you doing right now? Is it important? Is it as important as Yami leaving Kaiba Corp.?" A moment later she hung up her phone. "Kaiba's on his way."

"Why did you have to say it to him like that?" Yami hissed at her.

"Because he was going to act like whatever he was doing was so important until I made it drastic. If there's anyone who wants to see you go less than me, it's him." She said calmly, though her body language screamed tense.

"Yes, but I just called him! He would have been coming here anyway and not had to know that!" Yami retorted, not that it did him much good.

Seconds later, Kaiba appeared from the elevator, sweeping into the room and sitting in one of the chairs. "Explain this to me. Quickly." He demanded, and Yami leaned back with a sigh.

"You know I went to see my father last night. I asked him how we could stop Aknadin, and his plan was to convince the board to vote me in as president." Yami explained quickly.

Kaiba blinked at him. "Is that what you want?"

"Kind of. Not really, but it was always supposed to be mine, so-"

"I could just buy it." Kaiba said.

Yami's jaw dropped. "No! No...actually...that would work, wouldn't it?"

"Yes." Kaiba said dully, standing again. "Was there anything else you geeks needed?"

"Wait! You can't just say you're going to buy it and that's that! What if he won't sell it to you? The board still has to agree to that!" Yami protested.

"I'll make them an offer they can't refuse." Kaiba said coolly.

"You can't just buy a company all willy nilly!" Yami pressed, though it seemed half hearted.

"Watch me." Kaiba said, quickly making his way back to the elevator.

"You did hear my unfinished album I was making through Sennen Records leaked, right?" Ryou called after him, and he froze.

"Aknadin again?" He asked, and they all nodded. "Typical. I'll have it taken down. I'll also look into buying Sennen Records as soon as possible." He stepped in the elevator and the doors slid closed.

Yami rested his head in his hands. "This is why I didn't want to ask him about this. He's too overconfident that throwing money at it will work."

"It will, won't it?" Mana asked.

"It's a lot of 'ifs.'" Ryou said, and Yami nodded.

Yugi put a gentle hand on Yami's back and rubbed it in small circles. "Is that what you would want? For Kaiba to buy it?"

"Honestly? No. His company is big enough. At the same time, I don't want to run my own label either. It's stressful, and I wouldn't get to work with the people I do currently, or even in the same way. Nor do I want to go through the process of getting them back off the ground." He sighed. "He's right. It's for the best."

"Then we do everything in our power to make it happen." Yugi said.

Yami leaned against him, so the arm Yugi had on his back slid to wrap around him. "I hope it works. It will. It will work. Positivity."

"Ryou!" They all jumped at the sound of Marik's voice as he stepped out of the elevator. He was holding a travel mug and a paper bag. He darted to where Ryou was still kneeling on the floor. "Are you okay? I just heard. What should we do?"

"They're already working on something." She told him, accepting the mug from him. "Did you bring me tea?"

"It's actually hot cocoa." He said as she took a sip, her expression brightening as she swallowed it.

"It's good! Where did you get it?" She asked before taking another sip.

He ducked his head. "It's actually homemade. My nana's recipe."

"You made this?" She asked, and he nodded. "It's delicious."

"I brought you pastries too." He said, and she made a surprised sound before opening the bag.

"You got me cream puffs! You're perfect!" She exclaimed, taking a bite of one and getting powdered sugar all over her face before leaning in to kiss him. "You know what? I don't care about the album. Let them have it." Ryou said before kissing him again with a giggle.

"Seriously? You were upset about it not ten minutes ago." Yami said to her.

She chewed before saying, "Yes. I just took a moment to think about it, and it doesn't matter. I was upset no one was going to hear it because those songs were locked into my old contract anyway, I have much better, horror-filled plans for the next few months, and I have a gorgeous, amazing boyfriend who brings me hot cocoa and dessert. They can't bring me down!" She pumped her fist into the air, popping the last piece into her mouth before kissing Marik again.

He pulled back from her to laugh. "You taste like sugar right now."

Mana cooed from where she was leaning against Mahad's side, "You two are adorable."

Yami grinned slyly in her direction, "Speaking of adorable, you two this morning-"

"Shut up!" Mana picked up a throw pillow and whacked him with it, her face a deep red color. Mahad's face was a similar shade.

Yami laughed. "I'm just happy for you both is all."

"No, you're a teasing meanie, that's what you are." Mana stuck her tongue out at him.

"Teasing meanie? Did you go back to preschool to find that insult?" Yami laughed loudly. She stuck her tongue out again. "Seriously, though. I'm glad you two are together. You have the best get together story and almost no one will ever get to hear it. It's tragic."

"Is it?" Mana asked dryly. "I wouldn't say we're 'together,' either, more like…" She glanced over at Mahad.

"We're…getting there. At least I hope we are." He said, his happiness with that fact undeniable.

Mahad stood. "That actually reminds me that I should go get ready. I fly back out to my parents tonight."

"When do you leave?" Mana asked.

He looked down at the watch on his wrist. "I fly out at 3:30, and my parents are picking me up from the airport at 6:30, I think. I'm probably wrong. I have to really think about how the time zones work."

Yugi groaned. "Time zones are the worst."

"That's pretty true. I'll take them over being a lizard though. I'll see you all later." He said with a wave as he made his way to the stairs.

Yami grinned at Mana again with that same sly expression. "Shut up." She said to him.

"I said nothing." He replied.

"You did. With your eyes." Mana countered.

He laughed at that. "I'm just happy for you, I swear. You're my best friend. It's good to see you happy with someone new who makes you happy."

"It's day one. Give it time." Mana said, and he rolled his eyes.

"The man already knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets. Things I don't even know. You know his strange past. He also adores you." Yami pointed out.

Mana shook her head slightly, laughing a bit. "That's...not incorrect." She glanced at Ryou and Marik, who were still on the floor together, then at Yami and Yugi, who were cuddling on the couch. "I'm actually glad that for once it seems like everyone here is doing well in the romance department. I realize we're all sort of failing everywhere else, but at least we can all retire happy if everything completely falls apart."

Yami laughed. "Don't sound so happy at the idea."

"It's scary how appealing that sounds. I want a farm with a horse." Ryou said.

Marik scoffed. "Speak for yourself, I just broke into this industry. I am not ready to leave yet."

"You'll come around." Ryou said knowingly.

"Have you really been that miserable lately?" Yugi asked her, and she looked up at him in surprise. "I know you haven't been thrilled with the music industry in a while, but I thought it was finally getting better for you."

Ryou bit her lip, turning so she could face him and crossing her legs. Marik wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and tucked his chin over her shoulder. "I think it's less the industry and more me? I just haven't felt like releasing an album or writing songs for myself, recently. Or even going on tour, and that's always been my favorite part. I feel bad about it, too, because I know people like you and Anzu really like my work, so I want to keep creating for you. I just really haven't felt like expressing my feelings musically. Does that make sense?" She asked.

Yugi nodded. "That makes sense. I do hope you come back to it soon, though."

"Oh, I could never stay away for too long." She said with a wink.

"Hey everybody!" They looked up to see Joey stepping off of the elevator, a short red headed girl beside him.

"Hey Joey! Hi Serenity!" Mana said happily, jumping to her feet to hug the girl. Yugi realized they must have already met, which made sense considering Joey had been her bodyguard for quite some time. Yami rose from beside him and went over beside the two girls, hugging Serenity once she let go of Mana.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in years. How are you, kiddo?" Yami asked her.

"I'm great! I'm glad to see you both!" Serenity laughed happily.

Yami pulled away from her and turned to face everyone else. "Serenity, this is Marik, Ryou, and my boyfriend, Yugi. Everyone, this is Serenity." Yugi gave her a friendly smile.

"Hi, everyone." Serenity beamed at them all. "This is amazing. I've never been here before, this building is huge!"

"Like Kaiba's ego." Joey said.

"Did Kaiba explain why we called you?" Yami asked as he led her into the kitchen. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"Yes, and I'll just take a water. Thank you, Yami." She said politely.

Yugi liked her already. She was friendly and kind, the exact kind of energy Yugi wanted to encourage in all their lives. They made small talk with her about her flight, and she caught them all up on her life since she's last seen Mana and Yami. After almost twenty minutes, the elevator dinged again, this time revealing a happy but dazed looking Malik.

"Are you okay? You look like you just had to take your citizenship test again." Mana said, and Malik giggled.

"I'm _wonderful_." She said with a giggle, a dreamy expression on her face.

"So you and Bakura are…doing well, then?" Yugi asked, almost concerned.

She she flopped down between Yami and Mana on the couch. "He's _amazing_. He took me to this Egyptian cafe I've been wanting to try, and they had koshary, which is my favorite. We got it to go and had a picnic in the park. Also, he has a motorcycle." She emphasized, giggling again.

"Is that a good thing?" Yugi asked, not entirely sure how to interpret that.

"It is an _excellent_ thing. Mine got repossessed when I got dropped, and I haven't had time to get a new one yet, so I've been itching to go for a ride. When he got on it I almost cried I was so happy to see it." She sighed blissfully.

Yugi shook his head fondly at his friend, "I didn't realize you liked motorcycles so much."

"She loves them." Yami, Mana, and Ryou all said at the same time.

"Don't say it like that! You make it sound like a bad thing!" Malik scolded them. She finally seemed to notice Serenity in the kitchen. "Who's this?"

"This is my little sister, Serenity. Sis, meet Malik." Joey introduced them.

"You poor thing." Malik said, and Serenity laughed loudly while Joey protested, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"It's nice to meet you." Serenity managed to say between laughs.

Yami let their laughter die down for a moment before saying, "She's who I've found to be your new therapist."

Malik blinked twice before saying, "Really? No offense, but I need like a team of professionals and a shaman to work out my problems."

Serenity laughed again, "I'm sure that's not true. I also made myself very familiar with your Wikipedia page on my flight, and while that isn't really a way to go about seeing if I can help you, I can say for certain I think we'll be a decent match."

"Why?" Malik narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"We both had abusive fathers, we're both afraid of the dark and small enclosed spaces, and I have no intention of telling you to quit smoking marijuana. I read your last therapist did. Did she even ask you what strain it was? That makes a difference you know." Serenity said simply.

Malik stared at her for a moment longer before standing and going to her room, returning moments later in yoga pants instead of her skirt and holding a small gold box and her laptop. "Come with me?" She asked Serenity, who nodded and gave Joey a quick hug before following Malik up the stairs.

"I hope that goes well." Mana said, and Yugi nodded.

"It will. My sister is one of the best. Everyone who's ever worked with her has liked her. She was top of her class at her university, too." Joey boasted.

"She seems really amazing, Joey. How long is she in town for?" Ryou asked.

He shrugged. "Depends on if Malik ends up liking her or not."

The elevator dinged and Bakura stepped out, his expression pleasant, which scared Yugi more than his usual looks of disdain did. Even more shocking was that Mai was standing beside him, and they seemed to be chatting amicably.

"Mai? What are you doing here?" Yami asked in surprise, and she sighed upon seeing him.

"Hey, Yami. I'm here to chat." She crossed the room and sat down next to him and Yugi. "Hi, Yugi. Mana. Ryou. Marik."

"Hey, Mai." Ryou said amicably, and Marik nodded at her.

"I didn't realize you and Bakura knew each other so well." Mana said.

Bakura rolled his eyes, "I'm Ryou's manager, I have to know the people working with her, you know."

"You're her manager?" Mana squaked, completely surprised.

"You didn't know this?" Yami asked her. Yugi hadn't known this, either, but he chose to keep that to himself.

Mana shook her head. "No. I had no idea."

Bakura was scowling, "What do you think I've been doing all this time? Just following her around the world like some kind of groupie?"

"...no…?" Mana said, her tone trailing up like a question at the end. Marik and Yami both laughed. Bakura flipped them off before making his way over to the mini bar.

"Malik seemed really happy after your date." Ryou called over to him, and they all noticed the back of his neck turning red. She grinned widely as it happened, before adding, "Good call on that cafe you took her to via motorcycle, she loved it."

Bakura had pulled out a beer from the refrigerator beside the bar, and they all took note of the large, shit eating grin that had spread across his face before he took a sip.

"Anyway, Yami," Mai cut in, "I came over here because I've had quite the busy morning. You know Ryou's unfinished album leaked, correct?" He nodded.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Bakura asked from the other side of the room, and they realized he somehow hadn't heard the news yet.

"Oh, you were at lunch when the news broke…" Ryou said quietly.

"I can confirm it was Aknadin." Mai said, looking over at the white haired girl, "I wanted to give you a heads up but I wasn't sure if your number was the same."

"It isn't. Thank you for wanting to, though." Ryou said tonelessly. It seemed that even though she'd been playing like it hadn't bothered her, she truly was upset about it. Yugi understood that: to have poured all of your efforts into something, not even achieve a finished product, and then have it released to everyone without your permission was horrible, and definitely not the sort of thing she was expected to get over quickly.

"I'm sorry, Ryou." Mai replied sympathetically, "I know what he's planning to do next. It's kind of insane, though, I have no idea how it would happen or work."

"That's convoluted and vague." Mana said.

Mai rolled her eyes. "You don't know the half of it. Have you ever heard of something called the Millennium Items?" She asked, and they all stared at her blankly. "Is that a yes?" She asked again after a long moment.

"Sorry. It is. I'm sorry, how do you know about them? How does he?" Mana asked, the first to recover from the shock of hearing them mentioned from someone outside their usual group.

"I heard about them from him. I don't know how he knows about them, but he wants to gather them and use them to make himself all powerful? I'm sorry, it just sounds like lunacy to me." Mai explained. She looked like she expected them to tell her she was insane.

Mana stood and clapped her hands together. "Okay. Well I'm going to just solve this for everyone now." She said before going into her room and returning with a large wooden box that she placed on the floor near the balcony doors and unlocked.

Inside were six golden items, one of which Yugi remember from when Mana had performed the spell that brought down Sennen Records. She picked up a piece of chalk and walked out onto the patio, drawing a perfect circle with symbols placed strategically. She then laid out each of the items around it and looked around the room with a frown.

"I need something to channel the magic into." Mana said, making it apparent what she was doing.

"Do you have that necklace Malik gave you for your birthday?" Yami asked, and she took of into her bedroom and returned holding it in her hand.

She walked over to them. "Should I use this?" She held it up, revealing a small, golden owl with one green eye and one purple.

"It's pretty." Yugi complimented.

"Thank you! She gave it two different colored eyes so each one is our favorite color." She smiled fondly as she played with it for a moment. "Spell! That's right!" She said before quickly making her way over to the balcony. "Focus, Mana." She said to herself, tossing her hair for a moment before sighing.

She started chanting moving around the circle and touching each item. They glowed after she lifted her hand away. The wind started picking up, as it had a way of doing when Mana performed magic. She started chanting more loudly, holding the owl charm between both of her hands.

Yugi noticed Mahad come in off the elevator, the broad smile that had been on his face fading as he watched Mana. He turned back to her in time to see the items start shaking, glowing even more brightly while the wind whipped Mana's hair in every direction. She shouted the last phrase of her spell, and the items stopped glowing and shaking, and the wind died out.

Mana swayed for a moment, her knees giving out as she turned. Mahad rushed to her and managed to keep her from falling completely to the floor, hoisting her awkwardly before scooping her up in his arms bridal style. She blinked tiredly. "Hi." She said happily as she realized it was Mahad who was holding her.

"Hi. I was coming to say goodbye to you before my flight. I wasn't expecting you to be mid-spell." Mahad said lightly, but his face indicated he was less than thrilled.

"I'm just doing my civic duty to save the world." Mana giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around him and nuzzling her face against his neck. "You're so strong."

"That's...good." Mahad seemed unsure if he should be enjoying her attention or trying to stop her. He seemed to decide the latter. "I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Come back safe, okay?" She said with a sweet smile.

Mahad stared at her for a moment. "You're cute." He finally said, and she giggled.

"Put me down so you can leave." She said, and he did as she asked before turning to walk away. "Mahad?" He turned back when she spoke his name, and she stood on her tiptoes and grabbed him by the shirt collar to pull him down into a kiss. He floundered for a moment before he placed his hands on her waist and kissed her back. Everyone in the room started whistling and cheering in support, and Mana laughed as she pulled back from him. "Have a safe flight. I'll miss you."

Mahad stammered for a moment before saying, "I-I'll miss you too. Bye. Bye everyone." He turned and quickly fled the area, looking both pleased and embarrassed.

"That poor man." Yami said, shaking his head as he watched his friend flop down onto the couch beside him.

"What are you trying to say, Yami?" Mana asked.

"Just that he has no idea what he's gotten himself in to." Yami smiled at her, and she smacked his arm.

"I'm really happy for you, Mana." Ryou said happily to her friend, and Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Mana giggled as she slid the chain of her necklace over her head and tucked the owl under her shirt.

"I'm sorry," They all seemed to remember Mai was in the room as she spoke, "does someone want to explain to me what the fuck that was?"

Yami quickly explained how Mana drained power from the Items and channeled all of it into the necklace. "Does that mean they can't be used for anything else?" Mai asked, and Ryou stood and went over to them, scooping up the Millennium Rod and turning to Marik.

"I command you do the chicken dance!" She declared in what was supposed to be a commanding tone. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I'd say they're drained." Ryou shrugged before returning to her place.

Yugi frowned. "Wasn't the Rod the one you drained when you did the spell that bankrupt Sennen Records? Why did you have to use it in this spell?"

"I didn't actually drain it all the way to do that spell, which is why I fainted. I thought it might have been useful to keep around, but honestly, those awful things don't need magic." Mana crinkled her nose as she looked over at them.

"So if Aknadin were to get his hands on them now, they wouldn't have any magic he could use? They'd be useless?" Mai asked, clearly trying her hardest to follow all of this.

"Exactly. You're grasping all of this really well." Mana said with a nod.

"Good. Let's get to work on a plan to take him down officially." Mai said, and they gathered around to hear what she had to say. Yugi hoped that this would be the last time they had to do something like this, sliding his hand into Yami's and squeezing it. Yami pulled his hand away to wrap it tightly around Yugi's waist and pull him against his side. Yugi rested his head on his shoulder, and felt Yami turn to peck his forehead quickly before turning back to listen to what Mai was saying. Yugi knew he should be paying attention too, but he'd just decided he was going to take Yami out again that evening. They deserved to have some time together, and he really wanted to talk with him. He just hoped the craziness held at bay long enough for them to do just that.

 **I'll post more as soon as I have it! "Bitch Better Have My Money" is by Rihanna.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry I haven't posted in so long! I recently moved and started a new job so I've been busy writing this whenever I could and it took a long time. This chapter is so long my phone wouldn't let me post all at once so it's broken up into two parts. I hope you all enjoy it! I still don't own YuGiOh!**

"...and then our work is done!" Mai proclaimed enthusiastically as she finished explaining how exactly they were going to take down Aknadin. The group in the room stared at her for a long moment before anyone spoke.

"This seems...rather time consuming." Yugi said timidly, hoping he was saying what everyone in the room was thinking.

"It will be, but we can't just tear the rug out from under him, and we have to be completely prepared to go on the offensive. It's going to take us at least a month. I know Mana can handle that-" Mai looked over at the girl in question, who nodded, "and I'm sure Malik can as well. What about you, Ryou? Do you have any projects set up for this month?"

Ryou shook her head. "Only at the end. I can be out and about in public though."

"Good. We just need the three of you to be very busy this next month. You've been getting so much press lately there's no point in not taking advantage of it." Mai said, "Honestly, Yami, if you wanted to do something other than produce-"

"No." He said firmly. "I am happy with what I'm doing, and your plan means Kaiba doesn't have to buy Sennen Records. It all works out." He squeezed Yugi's hand, and Yugi returned it.

"Great. I'm going to go tell your father everything we just discussed. I'll call you in a day or two. I'll see you all soon." She said, standing and making her way over to the elevator.

"Hey, Mai." Joey said, and she stopped to look over at him. "Don't be a stranger."

She smiled at him, before stepping in the elevator, the doors sliding closed behind her. They all say in silence for a long moment before Mana said, "Well, that was completely unexpected."

Yugi's phone started ringing loudly. He pulled his hand from Yami's, smiling when Yami made a small sound of protest. He glanced down at the number, seeing it was a local call. Puzzled, he answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, am I speaking with Yugi?" A woman asked him.

"Yes, you are." He replied. He listened to her for a long moment before asking if he could check and muting her, "I have a call from a talk show wanting to know if Malik will do something called carpool karaoke?" He said skeptically.

Mana and Yami's faces both immediately lit up, "That's awesome! Tell them Yes!" Mana said enthusiastically.

"Shouldn't I ask Malik first?" He said, feeling kind of awkward.

"She's wanted to do it since she saw it for the first time. She's going to say yes." Yami said, which made Yugi feel a bit better about it. He let the woman know she'd be there for it and hung up. "I'm going to go find her and let her know that's happening."

"I'll go with you." Bakura said to Yugi's surprise.

"Be nice to my boyfriend." Yami said as they made their way to the stairs. A grin spread across Bakura's face before he wrapped an arm around Yugi's waist and pulled him against his side. Yugi felt shock run through his body. "Not that nice!" Yami called angrily, and Bakura released him with a laugh.

Yugi wasn't sure what to make of him. They'd spent little time together, and he seemed to have a reputation for being moody. Malik had referred to him as "misunderstood," but Yugi didn't know in what context she meant it. He supposed he would find out.

They walked up the stairs in silence before stepping out onto the roof. They spotted Malik and Serenity sitting on one of the couches together and made their way over to them. Yugi coughed when they got close, realizing that one or both of them had been smoking, but the sound let them both know they were there.

"Hi, Yugi." Serenity smiled at him, noticing them first because she was facing them.

Malik turned to wave at them, but her face lit up when she noticed Bakura. "Hey, you." She said fondly.

Bakura dropped onto the couch and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, burying his face in her hair. She leaned back into him, looking perfectly at ease. "You're hired, by the way." She said to Serenity, who laughed.

"Great. I think we should meet like this at least twice a week, and as needed. I thought that went shockingly well for our first session." Serenity said, closing Malik's laptop (Yugi recognized it by the purple keyboard protector). She smiled at the cuddling couple for a moment before saying, "So I take it you're Akefia?"

Bakura tilted his head slightly so his eyes were visible. He stared at her darkly. Malik swatted his hand lightly. "Hey, be nice. She only called you Akefia because I do. He prefers Bakura." She informed Serenity.

"It only sounds good when you're saying it." He grumbled, and she smiled broadly at that, turning so her legs were draped across his lap and wrapping her arms around him.

"Akefia." She said, and he pulled her even closer to him.

"You two should scram." He said to Yugi and Serenity, who stood immediately.

"You don't have to tell me twice." She said, making her way back to the stairwell.

"You're going to do Carpool Karaoke next week." Yugi said to Malik before turning and following Serenity.

"Seriously? That's amaz-ahh!" A moan escaped her lips as Bakura started kissing her neck. Yugi and Serenity bolted for the stairwell before Bakura decided he didn't care if he had an audience.

Yugi and Serenity said nothing as they walked at first, but eventually she let out a giggle. At his inquisitive look, she said, "Malik said something about Bakura earlier and I just realized what she meant."

Yugi chuckled at that, knowing she couldn't share much more than that with him without violating confidentiality. They arrived back in the suite, spotting Mana in the kitchen with Yami while Joey, Ryou, and Marik were sitting on the couch together watching a movie.

"What movie is this?" Serenity asked, taking a seat beside her brother.

"Mama. I hadn't seen it all the way through yet so I'm making them watch it." Ryou replied, smiling brightly at them.

"It's fucked up." Joey said bluntly, and Serenity laughed.

Yugi made his way over to Yami, who stopped grating cheese to turn around and kiss Yugi enthusiastically. "What was that for?" Yugi giggled after they broke apart.

"Just felt like it." Yami turned back to what he was doing, and Yugi noticed Mana was spreading tortilla chips on a tray and covering them in salsa. "We're making nachos." Yami informed him.

"Where are Malik and Bakura?" Mana asked.

"They're...busy." Yugi answered awkwardly.

"Oh no, we're going to have to burn that couch later. That's too bad." Yami sighed.

Mana laughed, "That might be a bit drastic."

"Is it?" Yami questioned. He spread the cheese evenly over the top of the chips, and Mana took the tray and placed it in the oven.

They waited together in the kitchen for them to finish, watching the movie Ryou had on and grinning at one another whenever it got particularly dramatic. Yami traced patterns on Yugi's arm, something Yugi found rather soothing. This went on for about ten minutes before the nachos finished. As Mana pulled them out of the oven, they heard Malik and Bakura coming down the stairs. Bakura had her thrown over one of his shoulders, holding her legs with one arm. He looked extremely proud, but she clearly seemed embarrassed. He set her down on the counter and said, "See? You may be taller than me, but I am stronger than you." He strode over to the mini bar to get them drinks, a proud grin on his face. Hers was extremely red and looked a cross between furious and something Yugi couldn't identify.

"What were you two doing?" Mana asked, which seemed to make Malik more red.

"I was teasing him because I'm taller than him, and he said he could still carry me anywhere, which I said was bullshit. He was proving a point." She started waving her hands in her face in an attempt to cool down.

"Please tell me you didn't have sex on the couch." Yami said, and Malik swatted his arm.

"No! Don't even talk about sex in front of me. I am so turned on right now…" She let out a frustrated huff, at which Yami took several steps away from her, though he was chuckling.

Mana giggled. "Who knew you'd like being carried that much?"

Malik shook her head, "This is horrible. I want to climb him like a tree right now."

Mana howled with laughter at that, and Yami made a face. "This is all wildly disturbing." Yugi laughed at Yami's reaction, which made the man grin broadly.

"What's disturbing?" Bakura asked as he joined them, holding out a glass of wine to Malik, who accepted it and started downing it immediately.

"Just how much Malik likes your muscles." Yami said with a broad grin. Malik choked on her wine and started coughing.

Bakura set his bottle of beer down and moved to rub her back. As soon as her coughing subsided, he grinned slyly. "They're so good that you're choking over the mention of them?" He asked her, his tone teasing. Malik groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Hey, don't do that," He said, gently pulling her hands from her face, "You're far too beautiful to be hiding."

Mana let out a loud, "Awwwwww," at which Bakura glared over at her and Yami, who were both watching them while eating their nachos. "Don't you lot have anything better to do?" He growled at them. She and Yami looked at each other before looking at him, shaking their heads vigorously. "Of course not."

"I've just never seen you like this with anyone before. It's sweet." Mana said.

Bakura scowled at her, and went to say something else, but Malik reached out and traced her thumb along the part of his scar below his eye, and he stopped to look at her. She opened her mouth to say something, then noticed the movie on in the background. "What the fuck are you watching?" She asked loudly.

Ryou turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Mama. Why?"

"HOLY SHIT! What did she just do to that guy while he was taking pictures?!" Malik exclaimed as the movie seemed to get even more disturbing.

Bakura placed a hand against the side of her face, looking at her for a long moment before asking, "Is it freaking you out?" She bit her lip, nodding slightly. "Pick up your glass." He said. She did, and he scooped her up. She emitted a short shriek before wrapping her legs around his waist and holding onto him tightly. He carried her over to the bar, crouched down to grab her bottle of wine before continuing down the hall to her room.

"She really hates horror movies." Yugi said as he heard the door close.

"Yeah, she's never been a fan of them." Mana sighed.

"Except Scream." Ryou said as she walked over to take a seat next to Yugi. Marik followed her. "She loves that franchise for some reason."

Yugi's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Ryou shrugged. "I just know she likes Drew Barrymore and she hates it when Hayden Panettiere dies in the fourth one."

"Me too!" Yami exclaimed. "She lists so many movies for that last question! She deserved to live!"

"Spoilers! Yugi clearly hasn't seen it!" Mana pointed out. Yami shot Yugi an apologetic look, who shrugged.

"Who knows when I'll end up seeing it. I don't even know who you're talking about." Yugi said nonchalantly.

At that, they heard the elevator ding, and Anzu stepped out. "Hey everyone. Is this a bad time?" She asked, sounding a bit awkward.

"Never. Get over here, lady." Yami said, and she smiled at that and made her way over to them.

"What have you been up to?" Yugi asked her, again feeling bad that he didn't see her often enough.

"Rehearsing like crazy. I'm very excited to see what this project is, by the way." She said to Mana, who smiled proudly.

"You'll know soon enough. We start filming in New Orleans next week, then the week after we're headed to California. I've been working on the last few songs and they'll be perfected soon."

"What project is this?" Yugi asked. This was the first he'd heard of it.

"Yeah, you haven't mentioned this yet." Ryou added.

"You didn't know about it? I figured Marik would have told you about it since we're doing a song together for it." Mana said, and Ryou crossed her arms and stared at Marik.

He looked unapologetic. "I was going to tell you eventually, babe."

"Eventually?" She huffed.

"Are you actually mad?" He asked her, starting to look concerned.

She stared at him for a long moment. "No." She finally sighed, "You best get explaining though, girlie." She addressed Mana.

"I'm working on an album and movie based on music I've written over the past few years interwoven with poetry I've been reading. I'm due to drop the first single from it in a little over a month, and the album and visual about a month after that. I don't really want to say more than that." Mana said vaguely.

Anzu nodded, "If the choreography is anything to go by, it's going to be amazing."

Yugi grinned at his friend. Se sounded so excited about the project, and it was everything she'd been saying she wanted to do for years. Watching her life unfold how she had wished and hoped it would made him happy. Yami squeezed his knee, and Yugi turned his grin in his direction.

"Isn't that really quick to make an album's worth of videos and edit them and everything?" Joey asked.

Mana nodded. "We've gotten so good at doing it as a team though that we can pull it off."

"You know what we should do? Go out as a group later. Do some bonding before everything gets really crazy." Yami suggested, and they all stared at him.

Mana pondered for a moment, "What do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know. I just want to go out and have fun with all of you. It'd be good for us." Yami said, and they all seemed to agree.

"Where though?" Ryou asked.

Joey snapped his fingers. "Coney Island!"

They all stared at him for a long moment. "You're serious?" Serenity asked, seeming to sense the vibe in the room.

"It actually sounds like fun." Marik said, and they all stared at him. "What? It does."

"I have been wanting to go there for a while now.." Anzu said slowly.

"Mana and I were last there...two years ago? It's been a long time." Yami thought out loud.

Ryou shook her head. "I still don't know how none of the people who were there for that discussed that you were filming a music video. Some kind of Hannah Montana movie nonsense-"

"How do you know what happens in the Hannah Montana movie?" Mana cut in.

Ryou rolled her eyes, "I used to babysit an eleven year old. I have seen every episode several times."

"That's unfortunate." Marik said, his eyes wide with horror at the idea of being forced to watch the Disney Channel.

Joey clapped his hands together, "Coney Island! Who's down?"

Mana stood, "Wait!" They all stared at her. "Sorry...but I just realized Yami and I have tickets to a basketball game tonight."

Yugi's heart sank. That put an unfortunate damper on the evening. "We have two extra tickets, too. We bought them months ago. I can't believe I almost forgot." Mana said.

"So who's going with you? Besides Yugi." Ryou said, and Yugi felt all his prior sadness flood away.

"Anzu." Mana said. The girl's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Me? Why? Really?" Anzu was gaping at her, clearly confused.

"I want to. Besides, Ryou and Malik are both going to want to be with Marik and Bakura. Correct?" She looked over at Ryou.

"I wanted to make more ravioli tonight anyway." Ryou shrugged. "I can't speak for Malik but she's in her room with him right now if that says something."

"And Joey and Serenity are already coming because Joey is my bodyguard." Mana explained.

Anzu nodded. "Yes. I'd really like that, actually."

Mana stood and stretched. "Perfect. We'll definitely eat here before we go, especially if you're making more ravioli, Ryou. I'm going to go ask Malik and Bakura if they want in on dinner, too." She made her way down the hall.

"Have you seen a basketball game before, Yugi?" Yami asked him.

"Not a professional one, but yes." Yugi replied. He was kind of excited to go, though he wasn't sure how well he was going to follow any of it.

Mana returned from down the hall, her face red. She had a hand to her mouth and was holding back giggles. "What happened to you?" Yami asked, confused.

"I didn't even get to knock. I'm not sure what they're doing in there, but she really likes it." Mana said, still laughing.

Ryou scrunched up her nose. "Gross."

Yugi grinned at her. "Regretting telling them to get together all those times?"

"A little bit." She said, though it was half hearted.

"Hey, Ryou? Would you mind doing my hair for me tomorrow? I'm really tired of pretending to be blonde." Mana said, and Ryou laughed.

"You? Tired of blonde? Since when?" Ryou teased her.

Mana stuck her tongue out at her. "I need a change is all."

"Why don't we go do that now? You're not going to leave for another three hours or so anyway, and it won't take me nearly that long to do it." Ryou suggested, and Mana nodded. "You should come with us, Serenity, Anzu, Yugi."

"Sure." Anzu said with a grin, and Yugi agreed.

"I need to go talk to Kaiba. I'll find you all after." Yami said, and they all nodded. "Good. I'll see you then." Yami said to Yugi, leaning over to kiss him.

Marik hugged Ryou from behind, "I'm going to go work on a few things while you're not here to distract me."

"I'm distracting you? More like you're distracting me." Ryou scoffed at him, though she had a large smile on her face.

"We're distracting each other. I'm not upset about it though." He kissed her forehead before releasing her and walking back over to the table where his laptop and bag were sitting. Ryou smiled fondly in his direction before leading the others towards the stairs.

Mana turned to Marik before they left. "Send Malik our way when she's done...what's a good euphemism?" Mana asked, tapping her chin in thought.

"Oh no, please don't. I do not want to think about what is happening in there right now." Ryou groaned, making her way toward the stairs.

Mana grinned wickedly as they followed her. "Bakura might not even want to have dinner, because he'll have already-"

"Finish that sentence and I will throw myself down all sixty flights of stairs." Ryou warned, and Mana giggled.

"At least he was enough of a gentleman to remember ladies fi-"

"Correction: I will throw you down sixty flights of stairs." Ryou said, and Mana stuck her tongue out at her.

"You're enjoying this a little too much, Mana." Anzu shook her head, her expression amused.

"Is that Freudian of me?" Mana asked, looking Serenity's way.

She shook her head. "There's too much women enjoying sex and not enough phallic imagery."

"So much, much better than Freud?" Mana asked, and Serenity nodded with a laugh.

They entered Ryou's suite, who led them all to her bathroom so she could work on doing Mana's hair. "I'm going to go grab a change of clothes. You should come with me." Anzu said to Yugi, who nodded. "Serenity, do you need to borrow an outfit or anything? I think we're about the same size."

"Actually, yes, if I could. I'll take whatever you give me." Serenity said, and Anzu nodded.

"We'll be right back then." Anzu said, and they made their way back to the stairs.


	21. Chapter 20B

**I had to split this chapter into two parts because my phone wouldn't post it all at once. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

"How's being Malik's personal assistant going?" Anzu asked once they were almost on their floor.

"Other than all the drama and craziness that's happening? She doesn't make me do very much. I feel like I'm getting paid to bring her coffee in the morning and tell her she's pretty." Yugi said, and Anzu laughed.

"That's probably just because she's between albums right now. Trust me, it'll get so crazy you'll be wishing you just had to bring her coffee." Anzu warned him.

He shrugged. "I honestly wouldn't mind doing real things for her. I feel like an over glorified house cat right now."

Anzu burst out laughing at that, throwing a hand out to the wall to hold herself up as she laughed. "Sorry, I just pictured a cat with your hair-"

"Screw you, that's not funny." He said, but he was already having trouble holding back his own laughter.

They stood together in the hallway, giggling for a minute or so, before Yugi shook his head and took out his keys to unlock the door. "Really, though, I like all of them. I'm really glad I work for her and everything."

"Good. I really like her, too. I feel like if she'd have released her first album the same year as Ryou and Mana then we would have listened to her, too." Anzu said, thanking Yugi as she stepped through the door he held open for her.

The two both strode inside, quickly grabbing what they needed before reconvening and making their way upstairs.

"Other than work: how are things going with Yami?" Anzu asked, quirking her eyebrows at him.

Yugi grinned at her, "Surprisingly well, actually. I feel so connected with him. He's got a lot of drama, too. Some of its hitting a little close to home."

"With his dad?" She asked, and he nodded. "That's unfortunate. What happened?"

"It's kind of a long story...I'll tell you when we get home tonight. We're going to want to talk about it together anyway." He said, hoping in that amount of time he'd get the chance to ask Yami exactly how much he could share with her.

She nodded in understanding. "I'm honestly just excited to hang out with you. It's been so long."

"I know. I feel horrible about it." He said, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I know you do, but don't. Assistants work crazy hours and sometimes get to be in on exciting things. You don't have to apologize when good things happen to you, Yugi." She said, and he felt a wave of gratitude that he'd chosen her to be his best friend all those years ago.

"I'm glad you're my best friend." Yugi said to her, overcome with the intense need to make sure she knew he thought that.

She smiled at him warmly. "Me too. I feel like one lucky gal."

"You and me both." He said, and she giggled.

"Yeah, you're a real lucky gal." She teased before letting herself into Ryou's apartment and ducking down the hall.

"What - HEY!" He sped off after her, not paying enough attention to stop himself from running headlong into the person leaving the bathroom. He crashed into them and they landed in a heap on the floor.

"Dammit." He heard Malik groan from beneath him. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

"It's because your butt is so big everyone knows it'll break the fall." Mana said, and Yugi could see her hair in foil with curlers from where he was on the floor.

"Just because it's big doesn't mean it feels super pleasant to ram into me all the time." Malik groaned as Yugi rolled off of her and helped her to her feet.

"I'm sure Bakura feels differently - OW!" Mana yelped. Ryou was glaring down at her.

"I will make your hair orange." She said darkly, though Mana just rolled her eyes.

Yugi twiddled his fingers awkwardly. "I'm sorry I ran you down. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's okay, Yugi. My attention span is pretty horrible, too." She ruffled his hair before hopping up onto the counter near where Ryou was working on Mana's hair. "You did sort of kill my buzz, but I'll get over it."

"Your 'buzz?' Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Mana asked with a huge grin. Yugi hadn't realized Mana had had such a dirty, playful sense of humor.

Malik eyed Mana, seeming to evaluate her before saying, "You wouldn't know since it's been so long since you felt a 'buzz.'"

Ryou let out a peal of laughter at that, throwing a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles. Mana's jaw dropped so her mouth formed a perfect "o" shape in shock. Yugi bit his lip to hold back his own laughter. Malik was smiling smugly, watching Mana with a single eyebrow raised in a silent challenge.

Mana narrowed her eyes at her for a long moment before finally scoffing and recrossing her legs. "Damn your quick wit and silver tongue."

"Thank you! They're my favorite things about me, along with my hair, and eyes, and bone structure, and dazzling personality!" Malik said, doing jazz hands before jumping off the counter and going to knock on one of the doors in the adjoining hallway. Yugi realized that must be where Anzu and Serenity were, because he didn't see them anywhere.

Mana stared at the door she had disappeared through. "Perceptive, that one." She said simply.

Ryou nodded behind her. "She's got quite a way with words."

"That's why I tease her so much." Mana said, "You can literally see her evaluating you and deciding exactly how she wants to strike. I'm completely obsessed with it."

"Like the adorable face Yugi makes when you use a pun he's never heard for the first time and he's trying to be polite and not ask what the hell you're talking about." Ryou grinned over at him, and he felt a blush rise to his face immediately.

"It's just awkward! I never know how to ask what they mean!" Yugi protested.

"You can always ask. We love explaining things." Mana said, trying to make him feel less discouraged.

"Don't listen to them, Yugi," Malik said as she breezed into the room and hopped back up onto the counter, picking up a hand mirror to look at her reflection, "These two gave me the worst sex talk I've ever experienced in my life. Let them explain nothing."

Mana scoffed, "Please! We made you a presentation! We had a PowerPoint and replicas and books!"

Malik blinked at her, "Yes, these are things that definitely made it better and not traumatizing at all, Mana."

"Well, who did a better job then?" Ryou asked, looking a little put out.

"Isis. Rishid. Even Yami did a better job than you two did." Malik deadpanned.

Mana's forehead scrunched up. "That isn't a thing I see him doing."

"Yes, well after the two of you gave me your beautiful ninety minute presentation, I wanted to smoke an entire bag of weed, and he happened to have one. It was a much calmer, less emotionally scarring conversation." Malik said as she fixed her bangs.

"Was it really that bad?" Yugi asked her, wondering what they could have said to overdo it so much.

"They literally started from back in the dark ages and worked their way to modern times, assessing how sex and sexuality were approached by many different cultures and times, as well as myths about sex and the human body. Then they went into gender roles and the spectrum of sexuality. It was interesting, and when I looked at it again later it all made sense, but in the moment it was way too much." Malik explained.

"You admit it was interesting and helpful though!" Ryou said proudly.

"Yes, just approached the wrong way." She admitted, "Maybe use less enthusiasm in the future."

"Are you saying you had to have that horrible, awkward conversation like four times?" Yugi asked, horrified.

Malik nodded glumly. "Was it really horrible for you, Yugi?" Ryou asked, clearly curious.

"It was definitely the most awkward interaction I ever had with my grandpa. He was explaining everything to me and I was mildly embarrassed, and I remember thinking I just wanted him to stop talking about it, so I told him I didn't like girls, and then we had to have an entirely different conversation." Yugi explained sheepishly, "I was glad he was accepting, but it was horribly awkward."

"That's kind of why Yami ended up telling me. When I was explaining everything they'd just showed me in their presentation in great detail, he kept trying to explain it in more relatable terms and ended up tipping me off to his sexuality instead." Malik said with a giggle.

"Wait, really?" Mana asked, and Yugi felt his interest peaked too. "I still can't believe he told you first!"

Malik rolled her eyes, "Yes, well he probably wouldn't have if it weren't for your stunning lecture on sex and sexuality. He ended up telling me accidentally because of something I'd asked him, and when he realized he'd slipped up but I wasn't angry, he told me everything."

Ryou shook her head. "How do you get everyone to confess their secrets to you? It baffles me."

"I have a face you can trust. It's my eyes, I think." Malik said proudly.

"Or your ego." Mana muttered, and Malik smacked her arm.

Yugi chuckled at that before asking, "What color are you dyeing your hair, Mana?"

"Thank you for asking, Yugi! You're such a good and concerned friend unlike other people." Mana emphasized the end of her sentence, staring hard at Malik.

"I said I was sorry I wasn't here when you picked it out! I was busy!" The girl in question said unapologetically.

Ryou was about to reply, when Anzu appeared in the doorway. "Could one of you come and help us? Serenity is trapped in the shirt I leant her."

"What do you mean?" Malik asked with a frown as she slipped off the counter and followed Anzu.

"So it sounds like things are going well for them." Mana said dryly, and Ryou giggled.

"Yugi, come help me take these rollers out of her hair." Ryou said to him, and he obliged, gently releasing Mana's freshly colored hair from their foil rolls. Ryou had done an ombré effect on her hair, so she didn't entirely have to say goodbye to the blonde. Mana's hair at its darkest part was a warm brown color that faded to light blonde at the tips.

"You got the color perfect, Ryou. I'm glad I had you do this, it could have easily looked terrible and instead it's exactly what I wanted." Mana complimented as more of her hair came loose.

They'd gotten almost all of them out of her hair when Malik returned, Anzu and Serenity in tow. "We solved her shirt crisis! Don't they look great?" Malik proclaimed grandly.

The three others looked over at the two girls. Anzu was wearing a loose fitting cropped uniform top that Yugi assumed was for the team they were rooting for tonight. She also had on a pair of glittery high waisted denim shorts and a pair of blue heels. Serenity was wearing a navy blue sun dress that definitely wasn't what Anzu had brought down for her, but it fit her perfectly.

"You both look too cute!" Mana squealed from where she was bent over the sink, "Is that your dress, Serenity?"

The girl blushed and looked down at the floor, "No, I was going to wear something of Anzu's, but it had a lot of snaps and we couldn't get them to line up correctly, so Malik grabbed me this."

"It's technically my sister's, but she won't care." Malik said with a shrug.

"It's perfect." Ryou said. "We'll fix your hair and makeup and then go make dinner."

Mana clapped enthusiastically. "Someone should put on music."

"Actually, would it be alright if I play you all what Yami has been helping me work on? I need outside opinions." Malik asked.

Ryou's head whipped around so fast Yugi was taken aback. "Yes. Now." She said quickly.

Malik set up her laptop and connected it to the small Bluetooth speaker Ryou had in her bathroom. "I want to forewarn you all before I play this that together they're basically an EP, and they're...well…" She stopped and crossed her arms, a frown forming on her face, "Fuck it. I'm just going to play them for you."

They continued getting ready while they listened to Malik's new music. The first, called Consideration, had a booming bass line and lyrics that Yugi would say veered on the edge of being nonsense at times, but had several lines that caught and held his attention. The second song had an electric guitar in it that Ryou wildly flipped her hair to when it first came in and had them all shouting, "man fuck your pride," by its end. The third song, Desperado, had stopped Ryou, who had been in the middle of pinning Serenity's hair up, in her tracks before she turned and faced Malik. "This one's about Bakura."

"I don't know why you would think that." Malik said, not looking up from Anzu's hair, which she was braiding in a small section carefully.

Ryou blinked at her. "I'm sorry, were those lyrics supposed to be subtle?"

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the awesome bass line." Malik said coolly. Yugi laughed, and she threw him a wink.

The last one she played for them ended up being Yugi's favorite for several reasons. It might have been the acoustics or how loudly the music was blaring from the speaker, but the bass line sounded interesting to him, like it was alive and pulsing. There were certain lyrics that gave him an intense visual and others that were so Malik he smiled. His favorite part had definitely been at the end of the song, when the recorded Malik started humming with one of the sounds in the backtrack and continued to as the song faded out. Yugi had picked up on it instantly, but he could tell by looking around he might have been the only one.

"That one was definitely my favorite, I'm just not sure what is happening at the end." Mana said, reaching out to rewind the track and listen to the last minute again.

"She's humming with one of the backtrack sounds." Yugi explained quickly.

Malik beamed at him, "You picked up on that instantly! When I started doing it in the studio Yami was baffled."

"I think he'd have to be." Mana said quietly, at which Ryou snorted. "I hear it now, though."

"What was that one called, Mal?" Anzu asked.

"Needed Me. Did you guys actually like them?" Malik asked, looking anxious for the first time.

Yugi nodded immediately. "So much."

Mana remained silent, clearly contemplating her exact answer. Ryou looked at her for a moment before turning to Malik, "Pros: You singing, the production, how much more personal they were than your normal tracks, which are definitely meant to go hard in clubs. Cons: if there's supposed to be a theme I missed it. Also…" Ryou hummed as she thought of how to phrase what she wanted to say next, "I like the tone of your voice, but you don't have much control when you're singing. Which is almost weird considering how much control you have when you're rapping."

Malik nodded. "That's fair and helpful. Thank you. Mana?"

Mana bit her lip and continued to think for a moment, "I think I agree with her. Except I don't care that they almost don't go together, I like it. There were certain thoughts and phrases, like the white horse and carriage, that threaded them together a bit. We just need to figure out how to use the support and control your voice has for rapping and use it for singing."

"There were certain lyrics that were so great, too. A few of them were strong visually." Serenity said, and Yugi nodded in agreement.

"Some of them were actual gold. Specifically, 'man fuck your pride.'" Ryou said with a grin.

Yugi jumped in, "I really liked the lines in the first one where you were talking about your reflection and needing to do things your own way."

"Oh, I really liked, 'fuck your white horse and a carriage.'" Anzu said, "Put that on a t-shirt or something. I want it everywhere."

Malik giggled, "Maybe not a t-shirt. I don't want to deal with offended people on Twitter. I'll make sure you have it on something though."

Ryou turned the chair she had Serenity sitting in to face her. "I think you just need a little lipstick and you're all set. How about Anzu, Malik?"

"Same, but I figured if you're making dinner there's no point in putting it on now." Malik said, studying Anzu, whose hair she'd done in a messy bun with small braided strands strategically placed around her head.

"Is something wrong?" Anzu asked after a beat of silence.

Malik shook her head. "No, this look just needs something. I'll find something when we get upstairs."

"I'll help you. I still need to get dressed." Mana said as she twisted a hair tie around the end of her side braid.

"Let me just fix Yugi's hair really quick." Malik said, grabbing a bottle of hairspray.

"What's wrong with it?" Yugi asked defensively, putting a hand to his bangs.

Malik smiled at him calmly. "You clearly just don't know how to style the cut Ryou gave you. I let you try on own, but you need just a little help." She said before spraying a cloud of spray around his hair and quickly mussing the sides and top. "See? You just leave the bangs and make the rest of it look messy fabulous by running your hands through it after using hairspray."

Yugi blinked, realizing he should have figured that out ages before. "It looks better." He admitted.

"Good. With that, let's go make dinner!" Malik said enthusiastically, and they followed her with just as much energy.

Almost half an hour later found them no closer to dinner than they had been. Ryou had been planning on making more pasta, but it turned out that someone had eaten all the eggs ("It wasn't me!" Yami snapped, though the fact that Mana and Malik didn't eat eggs almost guaranteed it was him). They were in the process of ordering pizza, but it was taking them forever to decide how many and what kinds they should get. After several minutes of heated group debate full of snide remarks and several, "fuck you mushrooms are healthy" from Malik, Yugi finally had an order written down and was pulling out his phone to call the pizza place he and Yami had gone to together.

Yugi didn't even feel particularly hungry as he punched the number into his phone and placed the order. His stomach hurt, though he was certain that was from a combination of laughing really hard as frequently as he had been and nerves about the rest of the evening. They were going to be sitting in the front row for the basketball game, and Yugi had a feeling the event was going to be on national television. He knew he just had to sit the whole time, so the odds of him making a fool of himself were quite low, but the prospect was still there and that made him nervous.

"You alright, Yugi?" He looked up at Serenity, who had been the one to ask.

He nodded at her with a smile. "I'm fine. A little nervous, but I know I'll be okay. It'll be better once we're there."

"If you're sure. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" She said, and he thanked her.

He was about to ask her a question, when they heard a loud shriek emit from Mana's room. The door was thrown open and the girl in question came sprinting down the hall, running to the far side of the room around the table and whirling around quickly as Yami bolted out of the room after her. She shrieked again and flung herself across the table to run back down the hall, throwing open the door to Malik's room, letting herself in and slamming it shut behind her.

"What are you doing in here? I'm changing!" They heard Malik say loudly to her. Seconds later, Yami threw open the door in a similar fashion to how Mana had and chased after her. "What the fuck? I am CHANGING." They heard Malik say even more loudly before Mana and Yami both came running out her door.

By now, Yugi was laughing again, and he knew it was definitely the cause of his sore stomach. He could tell Mana and Yami were both laughing too, even as they were running. Mana was flying towards the table again, with Yami hot on her heels until they passed Bakura, who at the last second turned and stuck out his leg so they both fell on top of each other in a heap on the floor.

"Owww… what is your damage, Bakura?" Mana whined.

He didn't even look up from what he was reading on his phone as he said, "That was for walking in on Malik without knocking."

"Malik, huh?" Yami asked in a teasing tone, and Bakura scowled at him.

"Yes, I know, it's so funny I've found someone I care about. What a hilarious thing to happen." His tone was dripping in sarcasm.

"Thank you for defending my honor." Malik said as she approached them from her room. She'd loosely braided her hair so it hung down in front of her right shoulder, and was wearing an overly large burgundy t-shirt with black leggings.

A fond grin formed on Bakura's face before he grabbed her by the hand. "Let's get out of here. Ryou said you have a song you want to play me?"

Malik stared at him blankly for a moment. "She's mistaken. Would you excuse me for a moment?" He nodded, looking completely confused, as she walked into the kitchen, where Ryou was sitting on the counter, talking with Marik. Yugi, who had the best angle, watched as Malik walked right up to her and grabbed her pony tail.

"Ow - OW! What the hell?" Ryou shrieked.

"Stop trying to make me look like a dumb bitch in front of your cousin!" Malik hissed at her before strutting back over to Bakura and dragging him out to the balcony.

"Be nice to people!" Serenity called to her, and Yugi saw Malik's shoulders sag before Bakura started saying something to her.

"You ordered the pizza I heard." Yugi looked over at Yami, who was sitting beside him now.

"I did." Yugi replied as he turned to face him.

"My hero." Yami said dramatically, putting a hand to his heart. Yugi rolled his eyes, though he was laughing.

They sat together in silence for a while, listening to the sound of their friends chatter together. Yami traced abstract patterns on Yugi's palm, a sensation Yugi found relaxing. They sat that way, content in each other's presence, until Yugi's phone started chiming loudly.

"That's the pizza." Yugi said. He took the call and let the man know he'd be downstairs momentarily.

"Should I go with you?" Yami asked as he stood.

"If you want to." Yugi replied, heading toward the elevator. He heard Yami quickly following him, a gesture that had a smile forming on Yugi's face.

Several minutes later and after leaving the delivery boy gaping in the lobby, Yugi and Yami returned with pizza. Yugi chuckled imagining the expression on the boys face.

"He wasn't expecting that, was he?" Yami said, smiling broadly.

"I don't think anyone expects to get a tip that large when they deliver pizza." Yugi pointed out, still laughing.

Yami nodded, "I know. That's why I like doing it."

They reentered the room, setting the boxes on the table. Joey was the first one to make it over to them. "Eeeey, pizza's here!" He announced before opening the top box and walking away with it.

"Make that last! We only got you one!" Yami called after him.

Yugi shook his head in disbelief. "He's really going to eat all of that?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "That and more if he could."

Seconds later, everyone else had gathered around the table. Bakura opened a box and dropped it immediately, a look of disgust on his face. "What the bloody hell is that?"

"Oh, hey, you found mine!" Malik said happily, opening the box to reveal the pepper, onion, broccoli, black olive, mushroom, and spinach pizza she and Mana were splitting.

Bakura was gaping at her. "That's… yours?"

"Yes, it's delicious. Want to try some?" Malik asked as she tore out a piece, holding it out towards him.

"No, I don't want a piece of that abomination!" He scowled, backing a step away from her.

She blinked at him. "They're just vegetables."

"Yes, and do you know where vegetables belong? In a bloody salad, not on pizza!" He exclaimed, clearly bothered that she didn't understand how wrong her pizza choice was.

Malik frowned at him. "What do you put on yours, then?" She asked.

"The best." He said proudly as he opened another box, pulling the lid back to reveal a pizza with pepperoni, bacon, sausage, and onion on it.

"What the fuck is that? It's just covered in meat!" Malik exclaimed.

"Yes, except mine doesn't answer the age old question of what doesn't belong on a pizza." Bakura scowled at her.

Malik sighed. "Okay, how about this: I'll eat a slice of yours if you eat a slice of mine?"

"Absolutely not! You're getting the better end of that deal! You get to have a real piece of pizza!" Bakura snapped. A sly grin formed on Malik's face and she leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. He froze as he listened to her, staying that way for a moment after she leaned back. He leaned past her and grabbed the slice she'd been offering him and took a large bite.

"How is it?" She asked, sounding almost nervous.

He chewed slowly for a moment. "It's...actually not horrible." He said as he took another bite.

Malik beamed at him, "See? What did I tell you!"

"Yes, yes, you were correct, Malik." Bakura said dryly. He reached up to brush her bangs out of her face and she bit her lip, an almost shy smile on her face.

"If you two are quite finished, the rest of us want to eat, too." Ryou said, and they both sprung back from each other, quickly grabbing their boxes and moving out of the way. Mana shook her head and laughed as she followed Malik around the table.

Yugi located the box that had a regular pepperoni pizza in it and opened it, grabbing four slices and putting them on two plates for himself and Yami. He knew after the other night that Yami liked two kinds of pizza: pepperoni and cheese. Those were it for him. Yugi felt the same way, something he was happy about. They seemed to like all the same foods, which made meals together pleasant.

He noticed Ryou and Marik splitting a Hawaiian pizza, each taking turns pulling pineapple off their slices and tossing them into each other's mouths. Serenity and Anzu had gone over to where Malik and Mana were sitting and had each taken one of their slices, chatting happily with them as they ate.

"Thank you for ordering us dinner." Yami said to Yugi as he accepted his plate from him.

"Of course! You paid for it, though. I should be thanking you." Yugi pointed out.

Yami shook his head. "No need." He leaned over and pecked Yugi on the cheek before digging in. Yugi sat for a moment, blushing furiously, before he did the same.

The stadium lights shined down harshly on them. It was a close game, the teams within four points of each other in the final quarter. Yugi was enjoying himself much more than he'd expected to. For one, while they were definitely on national television right now, it wasn't as if the cameras were on them. They'd panned to them a few times when they came back from commercial breaks, but their attention was definitely on Yami and Mana, who hammed it up for them every time. Currently, they both had their left hands on their hips and were twisting their right hands around, doing the signature move from Mana's song, "Single Ladies." When they stopped they both laughed and waved at the camera that was in their face before it flew away on the line it was attached to, turning back to the game.

"Is it like this every time you go to a game?" Yugi asked, and Yami nodded.

"We like to have fun with it though." He explained, before he took Yugi's hand again.

Yugi hadn't been certain how publicly affectionate Yami would want to be, nor had he known how to ask, so he'd kept a slight distance when they'd initially arrived. Yami had noticed this almost immediately, and had started introducing Yugi to everyone as his boyfriend, beaming proudly each time. It had been a joyous relief to Yugi not to have to hide their relationship.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of sneakers pounding the floor as the cheerleaders ran past. "Hi, Yami!" They chorused as they passed, giggling loudly. Yami waved at them.

"They seem to know you pretty well." Yugi said, suppressing a grin.

Yami laughed, "Mana and I had season passes last year so we were here almost every game. They knew us whether we intended for it or not. They're all really sweet, though."

A loud buzzer sounded, and they glanced out at the floor to realize a penalty had been called. "Now! Do it now!" Mana hissed, and the four of them stood and all traded seats. Yugi found himself between Mana and Anzu this time around. They'd been playing a game where every time the clock stopped, they changed their seating position. It seemed to amuse the audience members around them, as well as the team they were rooting for, who they were sitting just to the left of. They seemed particularly happy Yami and Mana were there to support them, calling them "lucky charms." The only one who seemed bothered by it was Joey, who was sitting just behind them with Serenity, just because it made it all the more difficult to protect them, but the odds of anything happening other than getting hit with a rogue basketball were rather slim, or at least, that was how Mana and Yami felt about it.

"They need to just get to the last two minutes already so this can end." Mana sighed from her spot beside him.

"You're not having fun?" Yugi asked, a frown forming on his face.

"Oh, I'm having fun. I just have this bad feeling...whatever. You're right. I should just relax and enjoy it. Go blue!" She yelled as one of the players dribbled the ball down the court.

"A feeling?" Anzu asked, sounding concerned.

Mana nodded, "Just that something important is happening. It's okay. If it's really that important we'll be able to deal with it tomorrow, right?" She let out a whoop as their team scored before turning to talk to Yami.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Anzu?" Yugi asked, feeling suddenly awkward.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm having a good time." Yugi noticed one of the players behind her seemed to be staring at her.

"I think you have an admirer." He murmured, and her eyes widened.

"Really? Where?" She didn't turn to look, choosing to be more subtle.

Yugi glanced at him. "One of the players. He's pretty cute, actually."

"What number is he?" She asked, squirming in a way that said she was tempted to turn around.

"22. He looks like he wants to come over here but can't make up his mind." Yugi said, turning back to the game.

"22...who is that? I don't have these things memorized." Anzu sighed. She waited another moment before finally turning and spotting him. "Holy shit, him?" She turned back to Yugi immediately, who was nodding. "There's no way he's looking at me. Maybe he's trying to see Mana. He's way too far out of my league."

"Excuse you," Yugi said, immediately annoyed that she would put herself down like that, "You're an amazing person and a great catch, so it makes perfect sense for him to be looking at you."

Anzu bit her lip, turning back to the game. He was positive he hadn't convinced her of anything, and made a mental note to start making a point of how great she was more frequently.

"Oh shit, oh shit, YES!" Mana yelled from beside them as they scored again, "That's the way, boys!"

Yugi caught Yami's eye as he clapped and shook his head in amusement at his best friend.

Several minutes later, they were in the last minute of the game. The player who had been watching Anzu, 22, was out on the floor now, running back and forth with his team. The air in the room was tense as their scores were tied yet again. The next score could mean winning the game.

They all felt anxious as the other team had the ball, but one of them managed to snag the ball and pass it to Anzu's admirer. He'd turned and quickly run down the court, his opponents hot on his heels. He jumped up and shot the ball, and it went through the hoop in a perfect arc right as the final buzzer sounded.

They jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping loudly. Music started playing loudly as the announcer discussed the end of the game and told everyone to drive home safely. They watched as the team huddled for a moment before breaking up to gather their things and go into the locker room. The one who had scored the winning point grabbed a Gatorade bottle and made his way toward them.

"He's coming over here! What do I do?" Anzu hissed at him, and Yugi grinned at her.

"Just be yourself. Talk to him. Be friendly." Yugi advised, and before she could say another word the player was tapping her shoulder.

"Hi, this might be a little weird, but…" Yugi didn't stay to hear the rest of what he said to her, choosing to go over to Yami, who was standing with Mana, Joey, and Serenity.

"I think someone is asking Anzu out." Yugi whispered to them. Yami raised an eyebrow and glanced over at them. A frown formed on Joey's face.

"Oh, I know him. He's actually pretty cool, and he's smart. I think he went to Duke or something before the NBA found him." Yami said.

Yugi nodded slowly. "That's good. I hope it's going well over there. She was so nervous."

Mana put a hand on each of their shoulders and stood on her tiptoes to see better, despite already being in heels. "Who is she talking to? Oh, him. Yes, that's good. That's excellent."

Yugi could see the guy awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he talked to Anzu, who also looked awkward, but was giggling at something he'd said, eventually taking his phone and typing something in it before handing it back to him. They talked for a moment longer before she waved and turned to make her way back over to them. Yugi noticed Joey giving the guy an odd look before turning to listen to Serenity again.

"What did he say?" Mana asked excitedly once she was finally in earshot.

"He said he noticed me with you and Yami and thought I was cute, and would I like to go out sometime." Anzu informed them, "Thanks for ditching me immediately, by the way." She directed at Yugi, narrowing her eyes at him.

Yugi held up his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't think you'd want me to witness you trying to talk to a cute basketball player."

She stared at him a moment before her expression broke into a large grin, "You're absolutely right. I didn't want you there for that."

"So did you say yes?" Yami jumped into the conversation.

She nodded. "I told him I wanted to text him for a while first so we can get to know each other and see if we even have anything in common first, though."

"That's smart." Mana said, before clapping her hands excitedly. "A boy asked you out! I'm so proud!"

Anzu rolled her eyes. "I don't know if it's that big of an accomplishment. I was definitely more excited to get my position on your team than I am about this."

"That will change. You just have to find the right person to make it exciting." Yami said, and Yugi caught his eye and smiled fondly at him.

Their little group waited for most of the crowd to clear out before making their way towards the entrance to the arena, where one of Kaiba Corp's cars would pick them up. They stood behind a plant by one of the doors, just out of sight of any paparazzi that might be nearby while Joey went outside to call the car. Mana was holding her phone up, a large pout on her face. "I haven't had service the entire time we've been here. No wonder Joey went outside to call them." She complained.

"I'm sure you'll make it five more minutes without your phone." Yami chuckled.

Joey reappeared. "Who's ready to go battle the paparazzi?"

Yami groaned, "I'm never ready dammit. Let's just go."

Yami turned and grabbed Yugi's hand, and Yugi felt someone else take his other one. He turned to see it was Anzu, who was linking hands with Mana and Serenity. Then they made their way out the doors.

The steps down to the road were covered in people holding cameras, and the flashing hurt Yugi's eyes immediately. They were all shouting at Mana and Yami, asking them to smile or face a certain way, which they both ignored, moving down the stairs as quickly as possible. He heard several of them asking who he and Anzu were, which they also didn't respond to. A couple were asking for comments about their recent scandals, to which Yami said loudly, "I'm more interested in talking about how we can provide resources to young adults who need help so those things don't happen to anyone else. Thank you."

It seemed to take an eternity, but they finally got to the car and piled in. "That wasn't as bad as I expected it to be." Anzu said with a giggle.

"You don't have to lie. It was awful." Yami said as he leaned back and stretched, then wrapped an arm around Yugi's shoulders.

"It could have been worse." Serenity said with a shrug.

"Yeah, and I liked that you shut that one reporter down." Mana smiled over at Yami.

He rolled his eyes. "They have to find something better to talk about than us. There's plenty of serious topics they could actually discuss if they wanted to."

They sat in amicable silence for the rest of the ride. They were all very tired, and Yugi felt a longing to be in his comfy pajamas. He glanced out the windows of the car. It was eleven at night and the city was still busy with people. "This really is the city that never sleeps, isn't it?" He commented.

Joey nodded. "it is. We'll have to really show ya around sometime. There's so much ya haven't seen yet."

Mana gasped, "Seriously, this country is so big. Hopefully Malik gets her album out soon so you can go on tour, you just have to see it, Yugi. We'll have to go to all the major stops around the country. We need to plan this!" She declared enthusiastically.

Yugi chuckled, "We might be getting a little ahead of ourselves here. I'll get to see everything soon."

The car stopped outside of Kaiba Corp and they all climbed out, thanking the driver profusely. They walked through the lobby and greeted the security guards at the front desk, who waved in response. They crammed into one elevator, which brought them up to the sixtieth floor.

Yugi noticed Ryou and Isis sitting on the couch watching a movie, and he made his way over to them. Once he was behind the couch, he noticed Malik was cuddled up under her sister's arm. "What are you watching?" He asked them.

Isis glanced over at him and gave him a friendly smile. "Hello, Yugi. How to Get Away With Murder. It's very good."

"It hurts my soul," Ryou said, "But it's really good."

"I don't know if you or Malik should be watching a show with that title." Yami said as he came up beside Yugi, and Ryou glared at him.

"Don't be fucking rude." She said sassily.

"How was the game?" Malik asked, not taking her eyes off the screen, "Hold that thought, actually." They watched as the woman on the screen asked her husband a question that made Malik whoop and snap her fingers. "Annalise is everything, I swear."

"Do you watch Scandal, sister?" Isis asked as she played with the ends of Malik's hair. Malik shook her head. "We're going to start watching that together next. You're going to love it."

"Did you have a girls night in?" Serenity asked.

Ryou nodded. "Bakura said he had something he needed to do tonight. Marik went with him."

"That show is fucking intense, Isis. I'm not going to be able to sleep for hours now trying to figure out who killed Lila." Malik said with a sigh.

"You won't figure it out, sister. Trust me. I was screaming at my TV when I saw the finale." Isis laughed.

Malik made a surprised face, "You freaked out? That's so unlike you."

She nodded, "Rishid will tell you. He was with me at the time."

"I don't know if I can handle that." Malik said nervously, "I need to stop thinking about it. How was the game, Yugi? You and Serenity have both been before, right, Anzu?" She asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from the show.

"It was actually a lot of fun. I've never been to a professional basketball game before. It's nothing like a high school game in Domino." Yugi replied.

"We're the cameras on you every time they went to commercials?" Malik asked with a knowing grin, and he nodded.

"I'm sure there's not going to be a compilation video of it on the internet tomorrow though, unlike some people." Ryou commented dryly, and Malik threw her a mean look.

"I didn't realize what was happening when I went, and you know that." She said through her teeth.

"What happened?" Anzu asked curiously.

Malik opened her mouth to reply, but Ryou cut her off. "Oh, I have it downloaded on my phone, hang on-"

"You just have it on your phone?" Malik said loudly.

Ryou nodded. "I watch it sometimes when I feel like maybe I did something foolish."

"Oh, you're going to feel like a fool, Ry-" Malik started, but was cut off by the video appearing on the TV screen. "How did you do that?"

"It's a setting on my phone, now hush." Ryou said as she pressed play.

Yugi found himself holding back a laugh almost as soon as it started. Malik was sitting with Rishid, who was trying to talk to her, but Malik was too busy pumping her arm to the beat to listen to him. It skipped and she was admiring her reflection in a lavender bedazzled hand mirror. "Where did that even come from?" Anzu asked with a giggle.

"I made Rishid bring it for me." Malik replied, and they all stared at her. "Sometimes I want to make sure my hair and kohl still look okay! That's not weird!"

"Wait! This is the best part!" Ryou said excitedly. They watched as Malik talked to Rishid while she was typing on her phone, when she dropped it and it rolled under her chair. Malik stood and turned around before bending over to pick it up. As she did, several of the players tripped over each other, crashing into the water jug that happened to be sitting nearby. Alike jumped up in surprise and had a look of horror on her face, and they saw her mouth to Rishid, "Was that my fault?" By now, Yugi, Serenity, and Anzu were all howling with laughter, and even Isis was struggling to hold back a laugh.

Malik narrowed her eyes at Ryou. "You are so petty."

"Are you dancing to Drake in that video?" A new voice asked, and they turned to see Bakura and Marik had just stepped off the elevator and were watching the video. Marik had been the one to ask the question.

"I think so. Why?" Malik asked him.

Bakura made a face. "Oh, bugger, I think we just broke up."

"What? No!" Malik protested, scrambling to get to her feet. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV off as it showed her taking a picture with Rishid.

"I know, it's too bad, sunshine, because I just got you something you've really been wanting, but I guess I'll have to return it." Bakura said casually, but his eyes gleamed with an amusement Yugi had definitely never seen in them.

"You got me something?" Malik ignored his joke as she walked towards him, glancing around for a present he might be hiding.

"It's not in here. Come with me." He held out his hand to her before leading her to the elevator, where they both disappeared.

Everyone looked at Marik. "So what did he get her?" Ryou asked him.

Marik shrugged. "It's a surprise."

"Not for us, though." Anzu pointed out.

"Please tell me it's not something dangerous." Isis said wearily.

Marik tilted his head in thought, "I guess it's relative to how you look at it." He saw the look of horror on Isis' face and rolled his eyes. "He got her a motorcycle. You people need to loosen up."

"WHAT?" Ryou shouted from her spot on the couch. "I'm sorry, you've been gone all evening so he could get her a motorcycle?"

Marik grinned at her. "I got you a bracelet." He held the box out to her.

"That's so not the point! I didn't need any- oh, wow, it's very sparkly." Ryou stopped her rant in its tracks to tilt the open box back and forth for a moment before she snapped out of her trance, "What I meant was that he hasn't met anyone he even tolerates before, and he's with her for almost no time and gets her a motorcycle?"

Marik shrugged again. "I don't know. He really likes her, Ryou. He kept saying he's never met someone he completely understood before, let alone someone who gets him. He didn't specifically say that person was her, but he didn't have to."

Ryou blinked at him. "Did I hear him call her 'sunshine'?"

"Yeah, I don't know what that's about." Marik said as he moved around the couch to flop down onto the couch beside her.

Ryou didn't speak for a moment, then said, "This is great! If I'd have known they were going to like each other I'd have introduced them years ago!"

"It is good to see her happy." Isis agreed.

"Where did Mana and Yami go?" Anzu asked, and Yugi glanced around, realizing he didn't see them either.

"Let me go look for them." Yugi said, and he turned to make his way down the hall. When he reached Yami's door, he knocked, but didn't hear a response. Frowning, he made his way down the hall to Mana's room, but before he could knock, he heard voices.

"-he's being serious, I think we need to start doing this. In the next couple of days, if possible." He heard Mana saying, and he heard Yami sigh.

"You're right. I guess I'll tell them to have us ready to set out by Monday. That gives you three days to figure out exactly what you want to do. I don't know what I'm going to tell Yugi." Yami said, and he sounded almost sad. Yugi felt his heart clench. He wanted to burst through the door and demand to know what was going on, but he held out when he heard Mana speak again.

"You might not have to tell him anything. Malik should come with us. You're producing her album anyway, and I have a deal she's not going to say no to." Yugi felt confused. He seriously wanted to know what they were talking about.

Yami seemed to think for a moment before saying, "You may just be onto something, Mana. Okay. Let's talk to her tonight and let everyone else know tomorrow. You have the note you found on your pillow still, right? I want to send a picture of it to Kaiba immediately."

Yugi backed slowly away from the door. He couldn't hear anymore of this conversation, it was making him upset. He wasn't sure what they were talking about at all, or why they were being secretive. The rational part of him tried to tell him it was because they were still friends and business partners, but he still felt bothered that he was being discussed and completely left out of the loop.

"Did you find them?" Serenity asked when he returned, and he had to take a moment before he realized what she was talking about.

"Uh...yeah. They're in Mana's room. I'm sure they'll be out soon." He said nervously. Serenity raised a brow at him but didn't question his reply.

He noticed Anzu talking to Isis on the couch, and he noticed she was...flirting? He blinked as he watched her giggle and something Isis had said and toss her whatever in a way he'd only ever seen her do when she was flirting, which was why he thought it. Was that why she hadn't been interested in talking with the basketball player earlier? Yugi decided he'd ask her about it later. He couldn't tell if Isis was flirting back or not, but he hoped it was working out for his friend.

He heard a door open behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see Mana and Yami coming back down the hall.

"Hey, Yugi." He turned to find Anzu. "I'm heading back downstairs. Are you going to stay here for a bit?" She asked.

He nodded. "I'm going to say goodnight to Yami and then I'll be down."

She nodded at him. "I'll make some tension tamer tea and then we can talk about what we were discussing earlier."

"Sounds good." He agreed, and she said goodbye to everyone before leaving. He noticed she and Isis waved at each other for a moment too long before Anzu turned to leave. It was kind of adorable.

"Where's Malik?" Mana asked as she entered the room.

"Bakura got her a motorcycle." Serenity said, and Mana's jaw dropped.

"Wha? Okay, we're going to discuss that in a moment, but something serious has come up."

"What is it?" Ryou asked.

"I found this on my pillow." Mana said, holding out a note. On it were printed words that made Yugi fill with dread:

"I'm watching you. Ten days."

 **"Consideration," "Kiss It Better," "Desperado," and "Needed Me" are by Rihanna. I'll post more as soon as I can!**


	22. Chapter 21A

**I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. I spent a lot of time working on this chapter trying to get to a place where I was happy with it, and that took much longer than I thought it would. Thank you all for your support! I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **I still don't own YuGiOh!**

"I want the entire security team in my office. Right now." Kaiba growled into his phone as he stalked through the suite angrily. "I want to know how the hell someone got in here without triggering any alarms. Get them to pull all video feed from the past six hours as well. I want to see how the bastard did it."

Yugi played with the hem of his shirt nervously. As soon as Mana had shown them the note she had found on her pillow, Isis had called Kaiba immediately. He was completely furious, which was to be expected. Kaiba Corp was supposed to be an impenetrable fortress, especially at sixty floors off of the ground.

Yami squeezed Yugi's shoulder in a reassuring manner. Yugi gave him a quick smile before checking his phone for what seemed like the millionth time since Kaiba had arrived. He'd called and sent a text to Malik to let her know what was going on, but she hadn't replied yet and he was starting to get nervous. He debated calling her again. He'd already texted Anzu as well and she'd gotten back to him immediately, which was typical of her, but made him even more nervous about Malik's silence.

"Stop worrying." Yami whispered in his ear. "She can handle herself, and she has Bakura with her. She's okay."

Yugi nodded, though he really didn't feel any more assured than he had before. He looked over at Ryou, who was talking with Marik and Isis on the other side of the room. She looked even more pale than usual, clearly spooked by their unexpected visitor.

The calmest person happened to be Mana, which was odd considering the note had been in her room. "Plenty of people are watching me. I'm never alone. I don't know why that's suddenly supposed to be terrifying." Mana had said lightly of the situation. She was currently standing with Kaiba, listening attentively to what he was saying to Joey, who seemed more somber than Yugi had ever seen him.

"Is that really necessary?" He heard Mana say suddenly, frowning at Kaiba.

"You can argue with me in the morning. We're not dealing with this now." Kaiba scowled at her before continuing to speak to Joey.

"I need to go to bed." Yugi muttered, feeling a migraine starting to ache in his head.

Yami nodded, his expression a mix of conflicting emotions. "I understand. Be careful. I…" His sentence drifted off.

Yugi tilted his head, "What?"

Yami looked into his eyes for a long moment, seeming to decide something before shaking his head. "It's nothing. Sweet dreams, partner."

Yugi smiled fondly at that, "We might need to come up with a better term than that, but I like it. You sleep well too."

He kissed Yami, letting himself melt into it for a moment before pulling away and heading to the stairs. He'd initially been annoyed that Yami had seemed to be keeping more things from him, but he knew that if it was about Mana's new album (he'd replayed what he'd overheard many times in his head and it was the only logical conclusion he could come to), then he was contractually obligated to stay silent about it. He knew if Yami weren't working on Malik's album he wouldn't be able to tell him anything about it either, though that didn't make it any less frustrating.

He walked down the well lit hallway to his apartment, happy he was only ever a short elevator ride and a walk down the hall from his bed. He slid his key into the lock and turned it. He'd heard Kaiba saying on his way up the stairs to investigate the intruder that they needed all the apartments updated to key cards or thumbprint sensors, which Yugi wasn't exactly thrilled about. It would be too much like being at a hotel or a high security lab from a movie.

He stepped inside and dropped his keys in the small wooden bowl on the table next to the door and trudged his way inside. He was only just realizing how tired he was, which was probably why he had a migraine pounding in his head. He spotted Anzu on the couch, watching some late night TV show. Yugi made his way over to her and plopped down onto the couch beside her.

Anzu glanced over at him, concern etched into her features. "What happened?"

Yugi sighed, stretching his arms before replying, "Someone left a note on Mana's pillow saying they're watching her. Not sure how they did it."

"That's horrifying." Anzu's eyes widened, and he nodded.

He glanced down at his phone. Still no response from Malik. He'd told Yami he needed to go to bed, and his migraine was hitting him full force now, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep while his head was pounding and he was worrying. "Are you okay? You look like you're in pain." Anzu said softly.

He nodded, "Headache." He said as an explanation. Anzu stood and made her way to the kitchen, where he heard her pouring a glass of water. She set it on the coffee table as she passed back by the couch and went into the bathroom, returning with two little white pills. "You're perfect." He said to her as she handed them to him, and he swallowed them quickly.

"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Anzu said with a smile as she returned to her spot.

Yugi shook his head, "No, seriously, thank you. I needed that and I had no energy to do it myself."

"Anytime." She said brightly.

A loud buzzing sound rang through the room, and Yugi's heart leapt into his throat when he realized it was his phone. He picked it up, and it buzzed several more times in the time it took him to lift it and unlock it. He had seven new messages, all from Malik.

Malik: WHAT THE FUCK? Well I'm home now.

Malik: I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner. My phone was dead until about thirty seconds ago.

Malik: You're probably asleep by now, since you're not here.

Malik: I hope I didn't wake you up!

Malik: You should meet me in the workout room tomorrow morning.

Malik: Not because you need to work out, just because we need to do some things. How does 8:30 sound?

Malik: I probably should have sent those all as one message.

Yugi shook his head, chuckling to himself as he worked on a reply. "It's fine, I'm glad you're safe. I'm not actually asleep yet. I'll see you in the morning." He said this aloud as he typed it, having trouble concentrating on the screen when his head still ached so badly. He hoped the medicine kicked in sooner rather than later.

"Who're you texting?" Anzu asked, grinning in amusement as he talked to himself.

"Malik. She wasn't here when Mana found the note." He explained, yawning loudly as he finished his sentence.

Anzu nodded, not responding for a moment. She watched her friend sit in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "Is something bothering you? Other than the obvious stress from someone having broken in."

Yugi sat up a bit at that. He thought for a moment, trying to decide exactly how to word how he was feeling. "I overheard Yami and Mana talking earlier, but I'm not sure what it was about exactly. He said they have until Monday to decide something, and he didn't know how he was going to tell me something. Then Mana said he might not have to because of Malik for some reason. I didn't follow any of it but it was kind of just… weird? Like they were scheming or something." Yugi explained.

Anzu nodded. "I get that. I have no idea what they were talking about, but that almost sounds like they're bumping up shooting her music videos. I got an email half an hour ago that the dance team needs to clear their schedules for the next two weeks and that we'll get more details tomorrow."

Yugi blinked, thinking for a moment. "That's...actually very possible. I hadn't thought about that."

"If that is what they were talking about. I don't know that for sure but that's how it sounds. That would also explain why they might seem like they're scheming: they probably were. Just not in a bad way."

Yugi bit his lip, considering Anzu's words. "I think you're right. I feel kind of silly now."

Anzu reached over and pat his knee gently. "It happens to the best of us. I get why you'd be upset though. Talk to him tomorrow about it. If there's one thing I know about Yami, it's that he would never intentionally do something to make you feel horrible."

Yugi crossed his legs and leaned back into the couch. "That's true. He would lie directly to my face though."

Anzu frowned. "About where he is and what he's doing, or about work stuff? I'm not defending him, but there are some things he's contractually obligated not to say."

Yugi shook his head. "Things like the drug dealing and his name."

"Yami's not his name?" Anzu sounded surprised, and Yugi nodded. "We'll come back to that. As for the other part...well, you don't exactly come out and say that to a person when you first start dating them. He might have told you eventually, or never, but I guess we'll never know since the press already spilled the beans on that one."

"Pretty much. I'm just already tired of hearing things through the news. I hadn't realized how often that was going to happen." He sighed.

"Yeah, it's been ridiculous lately. Usually these things don't happen. Literally, right up until you moved here, things had been quiet. Now it's insane every day." Anzu replied.

Yugi rolled his eyes, "That would be Yami's uncle's fault."

"I think I heard someone talking about that. Aknadin, right?" She asked, and he nodded. "I wonder what's up with that guy. Like what's the point in going after all of them?"

"He wants them to leave music. He wanted to drive Sennen Records into the ground so Yami couldn't have it and then make him and everyone he's around leave." Yugi explained to her.

"What? That's horrible!" Anzu exclaimed.

Yugi nodded, "Yeah, it's been terrible."

She adjusted her position on the couch so she was curled up in the corner. "You said Yami said he didn't know how to tell you whatever it was, right? That at least sounds like he means to tell you."

Yugi pondered that for a moment. "You're right, that is how it sounds. I guess I just need to be patient. You're really good at this."

"I've spent many years dissecting your life. Not much has changed." She said before she yawned hugely. "I can't stay up anymore, unfortunately. I have rehearsal so early tomorrow morning."

Yugi smiled half heartedly at her. "That's all right. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I can make coffee." She offered, but he shook his head.

"There's no need for you to stay up with me while I destress. I'll be fine." Yugi assured her. She reached over and embraced him tightly for a long moment. He took a deep breath as he embraced her back, before she stood up and made her way down the hall. "Sweet dreams." He called to her.

He sat back on the couch and breathed for a long moment in an attempt to relax. He was just deciding to start some reading when his phone buzzed. He half suspected it would be Malik again, and was surprised to see Yami's name displayed on the screen.

Yami: Hi. I hope I'm not waking you up. But if you happened to not be able to sleep either, you should come find me.

Yugi smiled down at his phone before slowly typing a reply. "Where are you?" He said slowly as he typed.

Yami responded moments later with a picture of the sound booth in the recording studio. Yugi stood and went into his bedroom to change into pajamas, grabbing his phone charger and making his way to the floor with the recording studio.

When he entered the sound booth, he found Yami sprawled across the large leather couch. He smiled happily upon spotting Yugi, and opened his arms invitingly to him. Yugi plugged his phone into the wall and double checked that the sound was on before sitting on the couch just in front of Yami, who seemed taken aback for a moment, but he lowered his arms and kept the smile on his face. "Hey, you."

"Hi." Yugi said, and an awkward silence fell over them at that. Yugi closed his eyes and decided to start talking. "I'm sorry. I heard you saying to Mana earlier that you didn't know how to tell me something and instead of just asking you I've been making things uncomfortable. I'm sorry." Yugi apologized for a second time.

Yami stared at him for a moment, his eyes soft. "Is that why you were being distant earlier? I'm the one that's sorry. I honestly can't believe you're still with me after everything… though that might also explain why you would be mad at me for keeping things from you." He finished, his eyes downcast and sad.

Yugi felt his heart sink looking at the expression on Yami's face. He looked like he was reflecting over every bad choice he'd ever made in his life. Yugi knew he beat himself up over his decisions and that Yami would reflect upon mistakes he made for long periods of time.

Yugi grasped Yami's hand in his own and squeezed it gently. Yami finally looked back up at him. "It's okay. I shouldn't even be upset: you were telling her you didn't know how to say something to me, so I know you had intent to. I also shouldn't eavesdrop. It's okay."

Yami shook his head. "You're seriously way too good for me. I wouldn't be as understanding if I were you." He confessed.

"Well, lucky for us, I'm me and you're you." Yugi smiled and reached out to play with Yami's bangs. "I'm not too good for you, either. That's just not true."

"You could find someone with less baggage." Yami muttered, and Yugi frowned.

"You may have a lot of baggage, but that's okay. We can work through it. I really do like you, Yami." Yugi confessed sincerely. Yami smiled at him, but still didn't seem entirely reassured. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Yugi asked him.

Yami sat up slowly and leaned over the side of the couch to grab a notebook from on the table. He opened it and flipped to a page without showing it to Yugi. "You know Malik and Mana are both going to be releasing albums soon." He began, and Yugi nodded. "Well, we got to thinking...Mana's album is going to be called Lemonade, and Malik's is The Pinkprint, so...Mana and I just talked to her about doing this." He turned the notebook so Yugi could see it.

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise. On the page was a shockingly good drawing of Mana and Malik, both done up 50s style in a kitchen making pies and squeezing lemons, which were the only part of the image that had any color. It looked like someone had taken a pink highlighter and colored in the lemons before they gave up, but it made the image pop. At the top, it said, 'The Pink Lemonade Tour."

"This is amazing. Who drew this?" Yugi asked.

"Thank you. I actually drew this. I couldn't stop thinking about it after Mana said it. There's also the option for a different tour. Malik wants to release an EP with the songs she actually sings and no rap called Anti, and Mana's lead single is supposed to be called Formation, so…" Yami flipped the page and Yugi gasped again.

It still featured Mana and Malik, but this time they were sitting on a park bench holding hands and dressed completely differently. Malik was wearing what looked like a sports jersey with "ISHTAR" written in bold across the top and below it was a "00." She was also in a pair of thigh high black boots. Mana had a hat sitting low over her eyes and was wearing a huge off the shoulder black gown. They were both wearing black masquerade masks. On the sidewalk drawn in front of them, "AntiFormation Tour" was written in small, neat block script.

"Did you draw this one too?" Yugi asked, reaching out to touch the page carefully.

As he did so, he started noticing subtle differences in the way it was drawn, and that this drawing had been taped into the notebook, answering his question before Yami could.

Yami shook his head. "This one was Malik. The second we mentioned Pink Lemonade to her she freaked out and got so excited, but then she came up with Anti-Formation, and now we're torn. I don't know how they're going to decide between them."

Yugi studied the drawing a moment longer. "What does this have to do with me?" He asked.

Yami looked up at him and raised his eyebrows. "Well, you are Malik's assistant." Yugi continued to give him a blank look. "So she's going to inevitably ask you about it, and then eventually you'd have to go on tour too." He finished, and Yugi's jaw dropped.

"I'd forgotten about that." He said quietly.

Yami chuckled. "That was what I didn't know how to tell you. I thought you and Malik would be going on one tour and Mana and I on another, but Mana had the brilliant idea to combine the two." Yami explained.

Yugi thought this over for a moment. "So...we're going to go on a group tour?" He asked.

A grin spread across Yami's face. "Absolutely."

Yugi found himself feeling giddy. "We're going to get to travel the country together! This is great!"

Yami shook his head with a laugh. "Not just this country, Yugi. We're going to every continent. Well, not Antartica." He corrected.

"It's a world tour?" Yugi asked, surprised again.

"Want to know the best part?" Yami asked, and Yugi nodded. "We're going to be going to Japan. It just so happens that Kaiba Corp's Japan Headquarters is in-"

"Domino." Yugi finished for him, realizing what he meant. "I get to see my Grandpa."

Yami was smiling at his giddy expression as he fully realized what this meant. "We'll be staying there for a week. Kaiba and I placed it halfway through the tour so they'd be able to take a vocal rest week."

Yugi felt so happy he could burst. He missed his Grandpa an incredible amount, so the fact that Yami and his friends cared enough to make sure he got to see him made Yugi happy and grateful in ways he couldn't express. Yami chuckled and he glanced over to see him watching him with an amused expression. "You look so happy and adorable right now." Yami said.

Yugi leaned down and kissed him deeply. "Thank you." He murmured when they broke apart.

"Of course." Yami replied. "We have a lot of work to do, but that's in the morning. Right now I just want to cuddle with you. If that's okay." He added at the end.

In response, Yugi lifted the blanket that half covered Yami and lay next to him, pulling the blanket up to their waists before turning into Yami's arms. Yami squeezed him tight and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you." Yugi heard him murmur against his temple.

"For what?" Yugi asked carefully, feeling completely at ease. He noticed his headache had finally disappeared, a fact he was grateful for. He could feel drowsiness settling in, especially now that he was comfortably in Yami's arms.

"Being here. Being with me. Being you." Yami said, and Yugi noticed how full of emotion his voice was.

Yugi leaned back from him a bit to look into his eyes. Yami's bangs were falling into his face, but he could still see the sincerity shining in them. "I've known you for less than a month and you're already my favorite person. I wish I'd always known you. Things would have been different. Better." Yami confessed, and Yugi's eyes widened a bit.

Yugi felt a smile spread across his face, and he reach up to move Yami's bangs from in front of his face. "I don't know how different or better it would have been because of me-"

"Entirely. I'd be entirely different." Yami sighed.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked him, starting to feel concerned.

"I spent a long, long time not liking myself and feeling like I couldn't achieve anything. I locked myself deep in the closet when I was fourteen, which was around the time Mana and I started dating. If I'd have known you...none of that would have happened. I wouldn't have hurt her or myself." Yugi opened his mouth to speak, but Yami pressed a finger to his lips. "I wouldn't have been with her. I would have picked you. There's something about you I am drawn to."

Yugi frowned slightly at that. "There's a reason we met when we did, Yami. I'm not the same person I was back then."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked him curiously.

Yugi sighed and thought for a moment before replying. "I used to be far less confident. I was short, weird, and wimpy. I got bullied all through high school and ignored through most of college. It made me the person I am today, but I'm pretty ashamed about most of it."

Yami shook his head. "I can't imagine why anyone would be mean to you. I can't imagine wanting to make you feel anything other than happy."

Yugi blinked, unsure exactly how to respond to that. "Really?" He finally asked, and he wanted to smack himself in the face immediately.

Yami just smiled at his response. "Really. You're a good person. You make me want to try harder."

Yugi blinked at him, completely unsure of what to say next. "I just made it completely awkward, didn't I?" Yami said sheepishly, "I'm really bad at explaining emotions, so sometimes I say really corny things, and -"

He was cut off by Yugi grabbing his face and kissing him fiercely. He'd never appreciated how much he liked Yami before now. He knew the exact right ways to compliment him and make him feel confident about himself. He was again glad he'd taken the time to understand Yami instead of writing him off as a bad person. He could easily not have taken Anzu's advice and made a huge scene and made them both feel terrible, and instead he got to enjoy languidly kissing someone he was completely grateful was in his life.

His hands slid down from Yami's shoulders, running them down the front of his torso and lifting his shirt a little to drift his fingers across Yami's abs. He felt Yami's shiver and moan before kissing him with even more enthusiasm.

Yugi half jogged toward the elevator, carrying his latte and Malik's lemon tea as he made his way toward the gym. When he stepped off the elevator and peeked into the door leading to Malik's normal spot, he was surprised he didn't see her. He stepped inside and glanced around, but the room was deserted. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and noticed he had a text from her saying she was in her sibling's room instead of the gym. He raised his eyebrows as he read it. He hadn't been her assistant for that long, but he'd already realized that working out was her safe zone, where she could focus on herself. He couldn't imagine what had made her decide to skip.

He took the elevator to the floor Ryou's room was on, certain that the Ishtar siblings had been given the one across the hall. He carefully balanced the drinks in one arm as he knocked, and entered once he heard Malik yell that it was unlocked.

He was taken aback the second he stepped through the door. He hadn't been in this room before, but he was certain it didn't usually look like this. It looked like a costume shop had exploded. There were colorful fabrics in a variety of materials scattered around the room strategically. Sequins and rhinestones sat in little bowls near the piles, as well as feathers and gold chains. He spotted Malik sitting at the table, using a sewing machine. He wasn't sure what it was exactly that she was making, but the lovely mint green color complimented her skin.

"You're the best, Yugi." She said happily as she accepted her tea from him and downed almost half of it on the spot.

"What are you working on?" He asked her immediately.

"Yami told you about the tour, right?" She answered his question with a question, and he nodded. "Good. You're half caught up already then. I'm making costumes." She explained.

Yugi's eyes bugged. "You make your own costumes?" He asked, completely shocked.

She nodded, amused by the stunned look on his face. "I've been sewing since we got above ground. Clothes sold in stores have never been exactly my style. Or fit correctly." She lifted the fabric from under the needle and trimmed the thread. "And when I started being present in the industry, I needed gowns for events and shows, and no designers would dress me, so I had to get creative."

Yugi's jaw dropped. "They wouldn't dress you? Why?"

She gave him a somber look. "No one wants to dress a rapping Arabic woman, especially if she's not 'sample size.'" She used air quotes and rolled her eyes.

If Yugi's jaw could have hit the floor, it would have. "What the fuck?" He finally managed to say. "Sorry, I don't curse usually, but I don't have other words for that."

"Me either. Trust me." She rolled her eyes again. "Unfortunately, you're going to get to see a lot of that ugly side of people while you're here. Some of it might even get thrown your way, as a warning, though if anyone so much as breathes a word of racism in your direction I will make them cry. I am not kidding. I love making entitled racists cry." She said boldly.

"I appreciate that. Hopefully you won't need to." He said, and she nodded.

"Me too. It puts me in a bad mental state to be aggressive and angry. I really love telling off terrible people though." She grabbed a handful of gold sequins and spread them in front of her before carefully sewing them by hand onto the garment she was making.

Yugi noticed a sketch pad on the table in front of him and picked it up. He flipped through it carefully. Each page had drawing of Malik in different outfits, some outlandish, others veering towards sexy, and some that were just variants of her trademark lavender hoodie and black leather pants. "These are amazing."

"Thanks." She said with a smile. "They're just rough sketches so I don't forget my ideas, but-"

"They're beautiful." Yugi said, flipping to one that was a flattering gold gown.

Malik crossed her legs so she could balance what she was working on better in her lap. "I had you come down here this morning for reasons other than singing my praises, I promise. Though I certainly don't mind if you want to do that." Yugi laughed, and she continued, "I actually wanted to go over this tour with you so when I meet with Mana, Yami, and Kaiba later, I'm more prepared."

"Sounds good to me." Yugi said, and she beamed at him.

"Perfect. That's not all we're doing today, but first things first: Yami explained how we're conflicted about these two different tours?" He nodded. "I've been thinking about it, and even though I came up with AntiFormation, I think I really want to go with Pink Lemonade. I just think AntiFormation would be dark, and I want this tour to be fun. How do you feel about it?"

He thought it over for a moment before responding. "I think you're right. It's a great idea, but you'll probably have more fun with the other tour. It's easier to come up with merchandise for something called Pink Lemonade, too."

"That it is." She agreed. "It's also going to be my main album, so I don't actually think it makes sense to go with AntiFormation. It was a good idea though."

"I really liked the drawing you did for it." Yugi told her, and he was surprised to notice a flush rise on her cheeks.

"Oh, that? That really wasn't great, it didn't really look like either of us-"

"You're kidding, right?" Yugi said skeptically. She stared at him for a second before chuckling.

"You're seriously the best, Yugi. You're way too nice." She said, and he shook his head.

"Just sincere. It's not that impressive." He shrugged.

"Now you're doing what I was doing, but I happen to know I'm amazing. Do you?" She questioned.

He shook his head. "That's different. I'm not special-"

Malik cut him off with a loud, "Oooookay, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and that we stopped talking when I said I was amazing. Which is still true." She said, and he laughed.

Malik tied off the thread she had been using to attach sequins and trimmed it before standing and stretching. "About today: the good thing is I am completely ready for these meetings, the bad thing is I haven't been to bed yet."

"What? Why? Malik!" He scolded her.

"I was out riding my new motorcycle with Kura - it's perfect, by the way, I'll have to show you it later - and...then I was just up working." She finished lamely.

Yugi's eyes softened. He hadn't slept all that much either, so he really couldn't blame her. Moments later, as if she'd summoned him by speaking his name, Bakura walked through the door holding a bag from the local market. Malik's eyes lit up when she saw him, her features settling into a fond expression. Bakura set the bag on the table before reaching out to tuck several strands of hair that had fallen in front of Malik's eyes behind her ear. "Good morning, sunshine." He said quietly to her, and she beamed widely at him.

"I was just talking about you with Yugi." She told him. Bakura acknowledged Yugi for the first time at that, nodding in his direction. Yugi gave him a friendly wave, certain Bakura would prefer this form of interaction.

"What've you got there?" Malik gestured to the bag Bakura had brought.

"I picked up fruit for you. You said last night you didn't think you had any more cantaloupe or pineapple left, and I brought you melon, bananas, apples, and grapes too." Yugi could only describe the look on Bakura's face as triumphant.

Malik was practically glowing with happiness as she looked at him. "I didn't think you were even listening when I said that. Thank you."

"I hear every word you say, even if it doesn't look like it." He poked the tip of her nose with his index finger and she giggled. "Are you busy today?" He asked her, and her face fell.

"Unfortunately." She seemed to deflate as she said it.

Bakura tilted his head and studied her for a moment. "That's all right. You have a career to work on, I have a cousin who needs managing. We'll be all right." This didn't seem to cheer her up, but she nodded in acknowledgement. "Hey." He said gently, and she made eye contact with him. "I'll find you later. I'm always a text or phone call away." She nodded again, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before saluting Yugi and leaving.

Malik leaned back, looking a bit forlorn. She sat like that for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "What were we talking about?" She asked him.

"How awesome you are." Yugi answered truthfully, and she chuckled dryly.

"Sounds like something I'd want to discuss." She spaced out again for a moment before shaking her head even harder and sighing. "Fuck. Sorry."

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked in concern.

She nodded. "I just keep spacing out. It seems like it takes me longer and longer to process what's happening around me."

Yugi nodded sympathetically. "That I understand entirely."

"I really like him." Malik said, and it took Yugi a second to realize what she was talking about. "When he's around, I keep telling him I want to take things slow and both be certain we want this, but the second he's gone I'm positive there's only one thing I've ever wanted as badly as him." She explained.

"What's holding you back?" Yugi asked her.

"I am terrified of commitment. Not because I can't handle it, but...the one thing I've ever wanted more than him was to be free. I'm terrified of commitment. Anytime someone asks me to sign something I practically have a panic attack as if on cue. You should have seen me when I signed the lease on my house, I was shaking so badly I couldn't hold the pen." She explained, twisting one of the rings she was wearing around her finger. "He understands all of this, too. I haven't had to explain any of this to him. He just accepts that I don't function correctly."

"I don't know if that's how I'd describe you." Yugi said to her.

She smiled tiredly at him. "You're sweet, but not entirely honest."

Yugi shook his head. "That's not true. Especially with all you've been through. Your father treated you terribly, Sennen Records were awful to you, and and the last guy you tried going out with acted like you were an object. I'd have commitment issues if I were you, too. You need to cut yourself some slack." He encouraged, hoping if he said it enough it'd sink in.

He looked at her for the first time since he'd started speaking and realized she was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. "You mean it?" She asked quietly after a moment.

He nodded. "Sincerely."

Malik chuckled dryly. "Serenity pretty much told me the same thing."

"You should listen to her. She's pretty smart." Yugi pushed.

"You're pretty smart, too, Yugi." She said, stepping forward to pull him into a hug. She was just enough taller than him that she could tuck his head under her chin. "Thank you for not judging me or just assuming I'm a whiny spoiled bitch. You could very easily have written me off before we met but you didn't. You didn't judge any of us. Even when some of our worst secrets came out you were supportive and kind. I appreciate that."

"Of course. You all deserve the best I can give you." Yugi said, and Malik squeezed him particularly hard at that.

They stayed like that for a moment until she withdrew her arms. "Okay. Pity party's over." Malik sighed and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes. "I need to focus."

Yugi frowned, "You're allowed to be upset about this."

She lowered her hands and gave him a close lipped smile before saying, "I am, but I don't exactly have time. I'll have plenty of time to deal with my issues when I'm on tour and he's not around to see it." Yugi's eyes widened. He'd forgotten that Ryou and Bakura wouldn't be there the entire time, which made him feel a bit sad.

Malik nodded as his expression changed. "I know. I'm not excited about zero Bakuras either. This is all happening very soon. Which reminds me!" She exclaimed before standing and making her way over to the couch where her bag was sitting, gesturing that Yugi should follow her. He settled carefully onto the couch beside her as she opened her laptop, not pointing out how quickly she'd changed topics. "I need to finalize the songs I want on both albums. I have time to do this, but I want to figure out what I'm working with, and I want your help."

"Why? I don't know anything about putting an album together." Yugi said, and Malik nodded.

"Exactly. You just consume music, you don't make it. That's why I want to know what you think. If I only take the opinions of record executives, who don't even listen to my music, it'll sound terrible. Therefore, I want your opinion. Mana and I also need to figure out an opening act, so if you know any up and coming bands or singers who can't support a whole tour on their own, let me know and I'll add them to the list."

Yugi nodded slowly, his thoughts flying as he started brainstorming. Malik continued, "Anyway, I think this is how I want to-" she stopped when Yugi put his hand on her thigh, just above where her laptop was sitting. "Yes?" She asked, startled. Though the surprise might have been directed more at the expression on Yugi's face.

"I know how you can get to see Bakura frequently throughout the tour." He said, and she turned to face him while she listened to his idea.

An hour and a half later found Yugi following Malik out of the elevator and into Kaiba's office. They greeted his secretary cheerily before proceeding into the room behind her, where Kaiba, Yami, and Mana were waiting already. "You're late." Kaiba said tonelessly.

"Yes, I know, I should be carted off to prison for my misdeeds. My assistant is brilliant, though, and you all need to hear what he has to say." Malik sat in a chair next to Mana and gestured to Yugi to take the one beside her. Yami winked at him as he passed him, and Yugi returned it.

"What's this brilliant idea? Don't underwhelm me." Kaiba said coldly.

Yugi swallowed. "Well...I know she hasn't said it yet, but Malik and I discussed that we think Pink Lemonade is a better tour theme-"

"Yeah you did!" Mana cheered, and Kaiba glared at her.

"We also discussed opening acts, and I thought about up and coming artists, and wondered if maybe we should ask Marik." Yugi finished, feeling awkward.

The room was silent for a moment before Yami closed his laptop and stood. "Well, I think we're done here."

"Sit back down." Kaiba said immediately, and Yami did so with a sigh. "Have you asked him if he would be interested in doing that?" Kaiba asked them.

Malik nodded. "I texted him immediately. He replied with, and I quote, 'Obviously yes. Do not text me with these trivial questions, you blonde gremlin.' Someone was mad his beauty sleep was disrupted." She finished. Mana had both hands over her mouth, suppressing her giggles. Yami was openly laughing, chuckling, "you blonde gremlin" to himself.

Kaiba shook his head. "Completely unprofessional. Why did I want to expand into music again?"

"The same reason you do anything: money." Mana said, and Yugi found himself biting his lip to stop himself from laughing at her sass.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "So you've decided a theme and opening act. Let's talk budget."

"I already filled out all the request forms and submitted them. I don't know if Malik has-" Yami started, but Malik cut him off.

"Yugi submitted mine half an hour ago. Do we have teams set up for this? What about deciding singles and videos? Who can I collaborate with? How much control do we have over that?" She asked, and Yugi noticed she was taking notes in a notebook instead of on her laptop.

"I'm putting Yami in charge of the tour and promotion, so he's the one you should ask." Kaiba said, and Yami grinned widely at the two girls.

Malik shook her head. "May the gods have mercy on our souls."

"What? You don't think I can handle it?" Yami asked, looking mock offended.

Malik rolled her eyes. "No. I just know your taste level."

"Rude." Mana said, but she was giggling as she said it. Malik grinned smugly.

Yami made a face at her. "Don't you have a tomb to go haunt or something?"

Malik propped her feet up on the table and crossed her arms behind her head, grinning widely. "Nope." She said, popping the "p" loudly for emphasis. Yugi only had time to open his mouth before she sprang to her feet. "Fuck! I actually do have somewhere to be!" She quickly gathered her notebook and bag before making her way out of the room. "Yugi! Where's my phone?"

"You left it on the table. I'll bring it." Yugi stood, picking up her phone in the process.

"We're not done here." Kaiba protested.

Yugi bit his lip. "She - ah...she has collaborations to do today."

Kaiba stared at him. "What is that?" He asked, expressionless.

Mana spoke up, "She's going to go work with artists that don't live in this building, Kaiba, stop making Yugi feel terrified. There's no need to bully him for doing his job."

Kaiba grunted, but he went back to looking at his laptop and stopped talking to Yugi. He smiled gratefully at Mana, who winked at him. Yugi moved quickly to where Yami was sitting and gave him a swift peck on the lips and a "see you later" before he sped off after Malik. He saw her holding the elevator for him and slid in beside her, holding her phone out so she could take it back.

"Thank you. I think we're finally getting into your actual assistant duties today." Malik told him.

"Whatever you need." Yugi said, nerves starting to flutter in his stomach. He knew he could manage a business no problem, but being an assistant wasn't something he had experience with. He was nervous he was going to give her something she was allergic to or forget something important.

He followed Malik off the elevator and through the main suite to her room. She threw her bag haphazardly on her bed and strode into closet. "I'm changing. I'll be right out." She called to Yugi. He just had time to sit on her bed before there was a knock at the door. He looked up to see Ryou grinning widely at him. He waved at her and she invited herself in, taking a spot beside him.

"Is she getting dressed?" Ryou asked, and Yugi nodded. "Good. I wanted a moment alone to chat with you."

"What about?" Yugi asked, worried immediately.

"Nothing serious. I just enjoy your company and can't ever seem to catch you alone." She winked at him, and he laughed.

"What are you two scheming?" Malik asked suspiciously as she emerged from her closet. Ryou let out a whistle upon seeing her friend, blatantly ignoring Malik's question.

Malik planted herself in front of her full length mirror and seemed to be evaluating her outfit choice. She was wearing a lavender dress that flared out around her hips and a leather jacket that was in a unique eggplant purple color and covered in gold zippers. The black ankle boots she intended to wear were beside her feet instead of on them.

"Is this what I should wear, or do you think I should find something else?" Malik asked them.

"I like it." Ryou said, leaning forward a bit and studying her friend. "Is Namu rapping all the verses today?" Ryou asked Malik, and Yugi noticed a fond grin on her face.

"No, I'm hoping it'll make everyone think I'm just a fan dressed like Namu. I'm going to sneak out one of the side doors with Yugi and Joey." Malik explained.

Yugi tilted his head, confused. "Who's Namu?"

Malik giggled. "You know about Melvin, right?" He nodded. "Namu's another character."

"How do you differentiate them?" He asked.

"Melvin's angry and aggressive, and his hair gets styled kind of like Marik's, except I also put in dark purple extensions in the under layers. Namu's like a girl who seems so great and then she plays you like a violin. She also usually wears pink lipstick and is a bit more fem whereas I usually pick nude tones and am more grunge." Malik explained to him quickly.

He blinked up at her. "So...you have multiple personalities?"

"No. Yes. It's complicated." She answered.

A knock sounded from her door, and Yugi quickly went to open it. He was pleased to find Joey on the other side, holding a tray with coffee cups.

"Hey, Yug, how's it hangin'?" Joey greeted him as he carried the drinks in. "I brought you one of those lattes you like."

"You remember my order?" Yugi asked, surprised.

"I try to remember what my friends like." Joey gave him a thumbs up before acknowledging the others, "I brought Ryou tea and Malik that...herbal...fruit...thing."

"My raspberry hibiscus!" She accepted it from him happily.

"Yeah that." Joey said skeptically, and Yugi laughed at the way he was eyeing Malik's drink.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked Joey, giving him a playful glare.

"Yeah, let's go." Joey said before he led them to the elevator. They waved to Ryou, who was staying behind to read scripts, as the doors slid shut.

"Stick close to me. We're getting into a Kaiba Corp. car and driving to the studio, so it should be easy to stay incognito." Joey said to them, and Malik nodded.

"Lead the way." She instructed, and he did. Yugi noticed a few of the fans looking in their direction, but Malik's plan to look like one of her fans seemed to have succeeded, because they all looked away after a moment. Yugi clambered into the car after Malik, hoping everything went as smoothly as that had.

"Thank the gods you're my assistant now. Seriously, you're smart and kind and you aren't a blabbermouth. Do you realize how rare that is?" Malik asked him happily from the backseat of their car as they made their way down 5th Avenue toward Kaiba Corp.'s tower. Her recording session was long over, and she'd written Joey a check to "go grab lunch" while she and Yugi went to it, which, to Yugi's surprise, Joey had taken her up on. They'd then gone into a recording studio, where they encountered three different men who all seemed to know Malik. He realized after a few moments that he actually recognized a couple of them.

"I hadn't realized that, but I'm not surprised. Why couldn't Joey come to your secret recording session with Drake?" Yugi asked, an amused smile on his face.

Malik sat up and put her hands on his shoulders. "You know how I recently found a boy I really like?" She asked, and he nodded. "If he finds out I collaborated with Drake I will be single again."

"He really doesn't like him?" Yugi asked, raising a brow at her.

"He thinks he's a primadonna. And I mean, he's not entirely wrong, but come on." Malik rolled her eyes. "We should go inside the same way we left." She said with a nod towards their destination.

"Probably the best way." He agreed. They made their way inside, spotting Joey coming towards them down the hallway. "Hey, Joey." He called.

"I'm glad you two knew to meet me here. Something is going down and Kaiba woulda had my head if you'd shown up without me." Joey sighed, seeming to relax.

"What do you mean, 'something's going down?' What's going on?" Malik asked, concerned.

"I'm not too sure, I was trying not to get caught by anyone. We should go find out now." Joey said, and the trio quickly made their way down the hall, into the lobby and onto the elevator.

When they stepped off the elevator and into the suite on the sixtieth floor, it looked like almost every member of the security team had been crammed into the room. "What the fuck." Yugi heard Malik mutter from behind him.

"Malik! Joey! Yugi!" They looked around for a moment before Ryou broke through the crowd. One look at her indicated how scared she seemed to be.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked her.

"Someone stole the Millennium Items. Come on." Yugi and Malik had a second to share a shocked look before Ryou grabbed them by their hands before dragging them through the crowd and down the hall to Yami's room.

She knocked loudly before opening it and gesturing at them to go inside. Yugi entered first, immediately noticing Yami, who was sitting with his knees pulled up under his chin at the end of his bed. Mana was sprawled on her back in front of him, with Osiris sprawled against her side. She leaned up onto her hands as they came in the room, a tired smile forming on her face. "Hi, guys." She greeted them.

"Are you okay?" Malik asked her.

Mana raised her eyebrows. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Malik moved to sit beside her and reached across the bed to grab an ice pack that was resting where Mana's head had been moments before. Mana seemed to deflate, the bravado she previously possessed fading a bit. "Oh. That. Yeah, I'm fine."

Malik made a choking sound. "Osiris!" She uttered in alarm. Yugi noticed the bandana wrapped around one of his front paws and realized why Malik was upset.

"What happened?" Yugi asked, looking between her and Yami, trying to piece together what happened.

Yami sighed. "We were in the living room working on idea for the album when we heard a crash in Mana's room. She thought something might have fallen, but then Osiris started barking, so she went to go see what it was, and-"

"It was some fucking asshole taking the Millennium Items." Mana interrupted. She continued, "He kicked Osiris as I came in the room, so I started using a spell on him, but someone else was with him and they hit me over the head with the Millennium Rod."

"You know what he hit you with?" Yugi was shocked and impressed she'd been able to notice.

"I came in right after that. I punched the one who hit Mana in the face." Yami said, his jaw tense. "They got away as I was helping her up."

"Oh, my valiant and noble pup!" Malik cooed as she scratched at his neck. "You're very brave. You're the best dog there's ever been."

"I healed his leg immediately after. The bandage was more of a precaution. He should be fine." Mana beamed affectionately at the dog, who seemed to smile over in her direction.

"I'm going to go see if Kaiba has any updates." Ryou announced to them.

"I'll go with you." Malik and Mana said at the same time. They looked at each other and grinned.

Ryou shook her head, though she was also smiling. "I suppose both of you could go with me. Come on, then."

Mana jumped up immediately, swaying slightly as she did. Malik got to her feet immediately to steady her. Mana shot her a grateful smile, which changed to laughter when Malik extended her arm out to Mana like an old fashioned gentleman. Yugi chuckled as he watched their little band parade out of the room, Osiris trotting after them.

Yugi looked over at his boyfriend and took a moment to evaluate him. On the surface he seemed okay, unscathed after his fight with the thief earlier. Yugi could tell that he was upset, however. His posture was tense, his forehead was creased with wrinkles, and their was a steel to his eyes Yugi had never seen before. He sat in front of Yami, unsure exactly how he should ask what was wrong.

"Come here." Yami said quietly, so quietly Yugi almost didn't realize he'd said anything, but once it had registered he immediately moved, crawling across the bed to sit beside Yami at the headboard. They sat like that in silence for a moment, before Yami curled himself against Yugi's side, nuzzling his face against Yugi's neck. Yugi lifted his arm to wrap it around Yami's shoulders, tucking his head under his chin and holding him tightly against his chest.

"I don't think I've ever been more angry in my life than I was today." Yami spoke softly against Yugi's throat.

"I don't blame you." Yugi replied just as quietly.

"I saw them with the items and then he hit Mana and I just...couldn't focus after that." Yami said.

"That makes sense. If I saw someone hit my best friend…" Yugi trailed off, choosing not to imagine that.

"It's more than that." Yami said, sounding tired. Yugi waited for him to continue. "She's being specifically targeted and it makes me terrified. I didn't realize I strongly I still felt the urge to protect her. It's unsettling." He finished.

Yugi pondered this for a moment. "No, that makes sense to me. You've known her since you were both kids. You've been best friends the whole time you've known each other. You have careers together. Of course you'd be angry someone hurt her."

"She's my family." Yami muttered. They sat in silence for a minute or so, just breathing together. "I don't ever want to move." Yami confessed suddenly.

"That's good, because I don't think I'm ever letting go of you." Yugi grinned down at his boyfriend, squeezing him gently. He gasped when he felt Yami start kissing his throat, then moaned as Yami sucked, licked, and nibbled his way up his neck and jaw to his ear. Then he pulled away, resting his head against Yugi's chest again. "Your heart is beating so fast." Yami sounded surprised.

Yugi grinned and with a sudden burst of confidence rolled Yami so he was on top of him. He pinned Yami's hands as they continued kissing passionately.

"Ah, yes. I also find my home being broken into intensely erotic." Yugi and Yami broke apart in surprise at the sound of Malik's voice. She and Mana were standing in the doorway, both looking more than a little amused. Yugi felt his face turning a deep red as he scrambled off of Yami. He caught eyes with Mana, who winked at him.

"What do you two want?" Yami asked them, clearly annoyed.

"'What do you two want?' Oh, you wound me, Yami! My heart aches from your harsh words!" Malik said dramatically, throwing herself against the door and posing with the back of her hand on her forehead.

"Stop that." Yami said, fighting to keep the smile off his face.

Yugi wasn't sure how it happened, but Malik was suddenly sprawled beside him on the bed, her hand still on her forehead. She continued, even more theatrically, "Would that I could, Yami, but the agony which I currently suffer is so great I cannot stifle it. I must endure your annoyance and scathing indifference for the rest of time!" Yugi was shaking with laughter, unable to contain it anymore.

Yami, though he was struggling to maintain a serious expression, had a closed lipped smile on his face. "You're ridiculous." He said to her.

She grinned up at him. "Mana and I just wanted to let you know we're having a group slumber party again because of the break in. No one's feeling particularly secure here right now so we're going to camp out in the dance studio."

"That's actually a good idea." Yami admitted.

"Can I invite Anzu?" Yugi asked, not wanting to leave her alone all night.

Malik grinned at him. "I already asked her."

"You did?" Yugi asked in surprise.

She nodded. "Mana and I just went down to your place to invite her. I knew you'd ask."

"You're amazing." Yugi said to her gratefully. He hadn't expected Malik would ask her, and it just further proved to him that he was correct about her being a good person.

Malik shrugged casually. "I know." She said playfully.

"Humble as always." Yami said, and Yugi could tell he was joking too.

"Well, as fun as this has been, we should all get ready to reconvene downstairs." Mana proclaimed loudly.

Yami nodded. "We'll all meet down there in fifteen minutes?" He suggested, and with that, they all drifted their separate ways, knowing the faster they gathered their belongings, the sooner they'd see each other again.


	23. Chapter 21B

**THIS IS A TWO PART CHAPTER! IF ITS CONFUSING, YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED PART ONE! (My phone won't let me post more than a certain amount of words so I have to keep breaking up my chapters which is frustrating and confusing, but I'm hoping enough of you read the authors notes that won't happen. I'm sorry for the inconvenience)**

 **I still dont own YuGiOh!**

Two hours later Yugi found himself pondering if other assistants ended up in the same situations he did. He was currently trying to put his right hand on green as he, Malik, Ryou, and Anzu attempted to play Twister while Bakura used the spinner and laughed sadistically as he gave them their next instruction.

"I think I'm going to break." He heard Malik say. She was bent over backwards balancing on both hands and one foot. Ryou was on one hand and one foot across Malik's stomach, and Anzu was stretched out under her legs. Yugi was somehow below her, oddly crouched on one foot and one hand.

"Please don't. I want to live." Yugi said, he heard Bakura and Mana laughing.

"Okay, sunshine, left foot red." Bakura chuckled.

"How the fuck am I supposed to do that? Are you actually expecting me to get my leg up and over Anzu and Yugi, then under Ryou and across myself to put it on red?" Malik said skeptically.

"That is specifically what I am asking." Bakura said, much too happily.

"This is bullshit. Who let you be in charge of this?" She whined.

"Just move your foot darling." Bakura encouraged.

She let out a loud sigh before breathing in deeply and slowly lifting her foot. Yugi watched her carefully raise her foot between himself and Anzu, then maneuver it between herself and Ryou. "There is no way your fucking leg is going to fit between us without knocking us all over." Ryou said to her.

"Did you just say I have fat legs you harlot?" Malik asked in an offended tone.

"Do you have turnips in your bloody ears or something, you dumb trollop?" Ryou said as a comeback.

Yugi was glad he'd been paying attention, because it gave him just enough time to dive back out of the way as the three girls toppled over. Malik was at the bottom of the pile, howling with laughter. Ryou and Anzu were also laughing but with less enthusiasm.

"Well, you all lose." Bakura announced to them.

"That doesn't count as a real game." Ryou commented.

"Everyone else found it entertaining. Isn't that right?" He asked Mana, Marik, And Yami.

"Absolutely." Yami said, a huge grin on his face. Mana and Marik were nodding with him.

Malik flipped them off, so Marik threw a pillow in her face, which sparked more laughter from their group. Yugi held out a hand to help her up, which she accepted gratefully. "At least Yugi is nice to me." She said snarkily as she adjusted her tank top and sweatpants. "I'm even wearing the shirt I bought when I went and saw you live, you dick."

"I see that. What the fuck did you do to it?" Marik asked with a laugh.

She glanced down at it. "I just cut the collar and sleeves and cut the bottom shorter and made it fringe. Why?"

"I didn't even know it was my shirt until now." Marik confessed, and Malik's jaw dropped, looking completely appalled. "Speechless? That's new."

"Oh, that's it!" Malik grabbed the pillow by one one of its corners and swung it at him. He dove at the last second, too late for Malik to stop swinging, and Mana's eyes widened in surprise right before the pillow hit her in the face.

Everyone in the room seemed to freeze and stare at them both. Malik dropped the pillow, her eyes wide. "Oh, fuck. Mana, I'm so-"

Mana grabbed the pillow Malik had just dropped and slammed it into Malik's shoulder. Malik, who wasn't prepared for Mana to retaliate, toppled to the floor on top of Ryou, who landed on the ground with a loud, "oof!" She reached up onto the couch that was beside her and grabbed a different pillow before twisting to smack Malik with it. "That bloody hurt!" Ryou snapped.

"Pillow fight!" Bakura yelled before grabbing a pillow and hitting Yami in the stomach with it. Yami, much to everyone's amusement, let out an uncharacteristically high shriek before stumbling back several steps before catching himself and quickly grabbing a pillow and hurling it at Bakura, who dodged out of the way so it collided with Marik, who caught it against his chest before narrowing his eyes at Yami. Yami stared at him for a moment before diving behind the couch and hiding.

Yugi felt a tug on his arm and turned to see Anzu. "Come on, before we get dragged into this."

Yugi nodded before following her out into the rows of seats facing the stage in the dance hall. He took a moment to ignore the chaos of their friends and admire their setup on stage. They'd decided that if they were going to band together for the evening, they might as well do it with some flare. They'd strung up what was supposed to be an outdoor tent made of translucent gold fabric that they'd hung up with white fairy lights and several other lights that Malik could change the color of from her laptop. They'd also pulled out several couches from the props room down the hall, setting them up in a large circle within the space. They also had a large square coffee table that they could play games on, but it had been set off to the side while they played Twister.

Yugi jumped as a loud crashed sounded from the stage, and spotted Ryou and Malik in a heap on top of a kicked over couch. "FUCK." Malik shouted from under Ryou, who was sitting on her.

"Truce! I call truce!" Ryou called, not moving from her spot atop Malik. Malik rolled and knocked her over with a triumphant, "HA!"

"They're really letting each other have it, aren't they?" Yugi glanced up in surprise at Mai, who was standing just behind him with Joey and Serenity.

"Hey, Mai. When did you get here?" Yugi greeted her cheerily.

"Just a few minutes ago. I wanted to make sure you were all okay but I couldn't leave without it being suspicious until a little while ago." She explained.

Yugi nodded. "That makes sense. As you can see, we're doing okay."

She smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear it, hun."

He smiled in return before looking back towards his friends and was surprised to see Malik heading towards them. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to approach them, but when she realized Yugi had caught her she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, seeming to meditate for a moment before opening her eyes and approaching them slowly.

"Hi, Mai." Malik said stiffly, and Yugi realized that she was nervous. She was overthinking the way she was standing and speaking, he could tell just by looking at her. He realized she hadn't been there the past few times they'd talked to Mai. He wondered if she knew Mai was helping them. He scooted to the edge of his seat, ready to diffuse the situation if it came to that.

"Hi, Malik." On the other hand, he found Mai impossible to read. He'd forgotten the thin scratch Malik's nail had left on Mai's face when she'd slapped her. By now it had mostly healed, but a thin line was still visible.

He noticed Malik glance over at Serenity, who was standing just behind Mai. She smiled confidently at Malik and nodded, and Joey gave her a thumbs up. She looked over at Yugi, and she stared into his eyes for a moment before she apparently saw what she needed and looked towards Mai.

"I owe you an apology. I actually owe you a lot more than that." Malik said, completely sincerely. Yugi noticed she seemed to finally relax, and she was becoming more confident as she spoke. "You were one of the few people who always spoke up for me at Sennen Records. I remember you screaming at editors for photoshopping me and you were the only one who apologized to me on that last day. I was pissed you seemed to be siding with them, but I was wrong and I'm sorry. I wanted to give you this-" Malik reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of lotion and held it out to her. "It's a salve that helps fade scars. I feel especially bad about scratching you."

Mai stared at her hand for a moment before accepting the bottle and opening it to squirt a tiny amount of it onto her finger and spread it on her cheek. "Where did you get this?" Mai asked.

"I made it." Malik answered awkwardly. She seemed thrown off by the question.

Mai raised an eyebrow at her. "You made this?" She asked skeptically.

Malik nodded. "I make all my own lotions and makeup."

"Really?" Serenity asked, and Malik nodded again. "Why?"

"I'm allergic to a lot of it. I got scared of trying different kinds to see if I broke out, so I just started making them myself." She shrugged, making eye contact with Mai before looking away quickly.

"Malik." Both girls made eye contact, and Malik seemed to freeze she was so nervous. "I was never mad at you. I understand why you reacted the way you did. I forgive you." Mai said, her tone certain.

"Y-you do?" Malik stuttered, taken aback.

"Of course I do. Hun, they took your house away from you. They wheeled your motorcycle onto a truck in front of you. I heard they even tried to take your dog from you, but you'd already had him sent away so they couldn't do anything about it." Malik nodded, and Yugi's jaw dropped. He hadn't realized that had been why Osiris had been here without Malik the first day he'd been here. "Yeah, I would have beaten the crap out of Valon, too. He needed to be knocked down a peg or two anyway. I can't believe he said that to you. 'You know what to do.' What a douche bag." She rolled her eyes.

Malik stared at her, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, before she approached Mai and embraced her. Mai returned it, though she rolled her eyes. "I didn't take you for the mushy type." She commented with a grin.

Malik stepped back from her, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "I'm not, but I'm trying this thing where I'm a better person and it involves feelings that are a lot to deal with." She confessed, looking down at the floor.

"Well I, for one, am proud of you. I can see how hard you're trying and I think it's working." Mai said to her. Malik's head snapped up, her eyes huge. "Are you okay?" Mai asked before much to her horror, Malik burst into tears. "Fuck! Shit, I didn't know that was going to make you cry!" Mai cursed.

Malik shook her head and waved her hands furiously as if she were trying to tell Mai it wasn't her fault, but she was still sobbing through it. Yugi stood and got up on top of his seat so he was the same height as Malik before holding his arms out to her. She sniffed once before throwing herself into his arms and continuing to cry. "Is she going to be okay?" Mai asked, worry apparent on her face.

"I think she's just releasing a lot of pent up feelings right now. She'll be okay in a few minutes. Is there some chocolate hanging around?" Serenity asked. Yugi nodded and gestured toward the tented area. "I'll be right back. That might help her feel better once she's done crying. She's going to feel pretty drained after that." She headed to where Yugi had indicated.

Yugi rocked Malik back and forth gently, listening as she seemed to calm down. She hiccuped occasionally, but was otherwise silent. Serenity returned with a chocolate bar, which she broke in half. Yugi pulled away from Malik so she could accept a piece from Serenity before breaking it in half again and biting it carefully. "I think I ruined your shirt." Malik said quietly to Yugi, who glanced down at the wet patch on his shirt.

"I hadn't even noticed." He confessed.

"I'll go with you to get a new shirt." She told him, and he nodded. She finished her chocolate quickly before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the elevator. "We'll be right back." She said to the little group around them.

"We'll be here." Serenity said to them. She and Malik shared a look, both smiling.

Joey turned and followed them. "I'm going with you guys. After today we're safer in groups."

"Thanks, Joey." Yugi said to him.

They stepped into the elevator quickly found themselves in Yugi's room. He quickly grabbed a new shirt and went into his bathroom to change while Malik and Joey hung out in his room.

"Aw, man, these dragon bookends are awesome!" He heard Joey say loudly.

"They are pretty cool. He has a couple of cool games he brought from Japan on the shelf above it." Malik informed him.

"That's so cool. Whoa, what's that?" Joey asked.

"I don't remember seeing it when I helped him unpack." Malik replied. She sounded curious.

"Is it the gold box?" Yugi called as he fixed his hair where it was messed up by the clothing change.

"Yeah! What is it?" Joey asked excitedly.

"It's this puzzle box my grandpa gave me. He said it's from Egypt, and that no one's ever solved it. You can pick it up if you want." He told them.

"So cool." He heard Joey say, before he heard a crash. "What the hell?" Joey asked.

Yugi rushed out of his bathroom and saw the puzzle box open, the pieces scattered on the floor. Malik was on the other side of the room gaping at it in horror. "This isn't possible. This can't be happening." She whispered.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked her, completely worried.

Malik dropped to her knees, staring blankly at the scattered pieces on the floor. "How do you have the Millenium Puzzle?" She asked him.

 **I promise the next update won't be so long from now! I hope you enjoyed it!**


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